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mr  IRDLING 

THE 


GLOBE. 


GIRDLING  THE  GLOBE. 


FROM  THE  LAND  OF  THE  MIDNIGHT 
SUN  TO  THE  GOLDEN  GATE. 


A    RECORD    OF    A    TOUR   AROUND 
THE    WORLD. 


By  D.  L.  miller, 

Author  of  "Euroj)e  atitl  Bihlf  Lamia/'  ^'Seven  Chuychts  of  Aaia/' 
*' Wanderings  in  Bihle  Lands." 


PROFUSELY    ILLUSTRATED. 


Mount  Mcjkkis,  III.: 
THE   BRETHREN   PUBLISHING   HOUSE. 

1898. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1898,  by 

D.  L.  MILLER, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congiess,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


All  Rights  Reserved. 


THE    AUTHOR 


DEDICATES    THIS    BOOK    TO    THE    CAUSE 


OF    MISSIONS,    AND    TO    THOSE    WHO,    BY   GENEROUS   GIFTS,    HAVE 


MADE    IT    POSSIBLE    TO    SEND    THE    GOSPEL 


TO    HEATHEN    LANDS. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 


Across  the  Atlantic— London— The  Palace  of  a  Queen— Paris— Gilded  Sin— Results 
of  Infidelity, 15 

CHAPTER    II. 

To  Scandinavia— Nordland— The  Coast  of  Norway— Beautiful  Scenery— The  Love  of 
the  Norwegian  for  his  Home— The  Laplander— Home  Life  of  the  People — Eating 
Horse-flesh— The  Sun  at  Midnight 37 

CHAPTER    III. 

Leaving  the  Northland — Through  Germany— A  Beautiful  Valley — Schwarzenau  and 
the  Eder — Persecuted  Reformers — The  Rhine — Mayence  to  Cologne— The  City  of 
Worms  and  Luther's  Denkmal— Lucerne— Climbing  Rigi  — William  Tell  —  The 
Axenstrasse— The  St.  Gothard  Railway — The  Great  Tunnel— Lombardy — Arrival 
at  Milan, 69 

CHAPTER    IV. 

The  Cathedral  at  Milan— Leonardo  da  Vinci— The  Last  Supper— Rome— Kissing  the 
Foot  of  St.  Peter— Pompeii— New  Discoveries— An  Ancient  House — Corinth— Di- 
ogenes the  Cynic— Paul  the  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles— Athens — The  Acropolis — 
The  Market  Place — Mars'  Hill— Sunset  on  the  Acropolis — Costumes  of  the  Athe- 
nians—A  Greek  Soldier— Maid  of  Athens— A  Peculiar  Custom,     g8 

CHAPTER    V. 

Athens  to  Smyrna — The  "Unspeakable  Turk"— The  Massacre  of  the  Armenians — 
An  Agape  or  Love  Feast  in  Smyrna— Mission  Work — Fellow  Pilgrims— The  City 
of  Figs — How  Figs  are  Packed— A  Trial  of  Patience — Sailing  for  the  Holy  Land — 
Beirut — An  Evening  Sail  along  the  Coast  of  Tyre  and  Sidon — The  Mountains  of 
Lebanon— Mount  Carmel— The  Prophefs  Test— At  Jaffa, 136 

CHAPTER    VI. 

Landing  at  Jaffa— A  Rough  Sea— Dangerous  Landing— Our  Ebenezer— Railways  in 
Palestine — The  Threshing  Floor— Unmuzzled  Oxen— His  Fan  is  in  His  Hand — 
The  Gleaners— Lydda— The  Effendi  and  his  Wives— The  Leprosy— Beth-shemesh 
and  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant — Birthplace  of  Samson — Whited  Sepulchres — Farm 
Life  in  Palestine— The  Ownership  of  the  Land— Casting  Lots— The  Lines  are 
Fallen  to  me  in  Pleasant  Places— The  Ta.\  Gatherer 157 

CHAPTER    VII. 

Measuring  Grain— Poverty  of  Jerusalem— Excavations— Gates  Sunk  in  the  Ground- 
Two  Women  Grinding  at  the  Mill— The  Shepherd  and  his  Flock— Night  on  Olivet 
—A  Jewish  Funeral— The  Ring's  Wine  Press— Eastward  and  Homeward— On  to 
Egypt 180 


viii  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

Port  Said— Railway  to  Cairo— To  tlie  Pyramids— Camel  Train— Farmers  at  Work- 
Casting  Seed  upon  the  Water— A  Monopolistic  Sheik— A  Hard  Climb— On  the 
Summit— Smelling  Salts  and  the  Arabs— The  Shame  of  Cairo— A  Street  Sleeper— 
On  to  India— The  Red  Sea— Aden  and  the  Divers— The  Arabian  Sea— The  Har- 
bor of  Bombay 204 

CHAPTER    IX. 

A  Welcome  to  Bombay— A  Modern  City— The  Parsis— Fireworshipers— "  The  Res- 
taurant of  the  Vultures"— Towers  of  Silence— Old  Bombay— The  Bazaars— Full 
Jeweled  Women— Excessive  Jewelry— Rings  in  the  Ears  and  Nose— Rings  on 
Fingers  and  Toes— Pan  Chewing  Versus  Tobacco, 233 

CHAPTER    X. 

Stability  of  Customs  in  India— The  Sacred  Animals— Worshiping  the  Cow— Bathing 
—The  Hindus'  Love  for  Animals— To  Bulsar— The  Cocoanut  Toddy— Monkeys 
by  the  Way— Our  Mission  Home— A  Good  Work  by  a  Noble  Band  of  Workers- 
Hinduism— Caste— The  Rajah  and  his  Cabinet— High  Caste  Woman— Low  Caste 
Woman— The  Degradation  of  Idolaters 259 

CHAPTER    XI. 

Idolatry  in  India— The  Fascination  of  Idol  Worship— The  Degradation  of  the  People 
—Different  Sects— The  Mark  on  the  Forehead— Branding  the  Body— The  Daily 
Service  Rendered  to  the  Idol— Saktism  a  Synonym  for  Sensuality— Animal  Wor- 
ship—The  Hindus' Love  for  Animals— A  Strange  Case  of  Suicide— The  Worship 
of  Snakes— The  Monkey  God— Plant  and  Tree  Worship 282 

CHAPTER    XII. 

Among  the  Common  People— Manners  and  Customs— Burning  the  Dead— A  Crema- 
tion at  the  Riverside— "  Ram,  Ram '"  —  Vain  Repetitions— Sorrow  Makes  the 
World  Akin— Burning  of  Widows— The  Hindu  Widow  at  the  Judgment— Burning 
Ghat— Native  Houses— Home  Life  of  the  Villagers— Daily  Religious  Service- 
Strict  Observance  of  Rites  and  Ceremonies —  The  Parsi  Offering  his  Evening 
Prayer— Woman  Grinding  at  the  Mill— Dress— Dhoti— Rings  for  the  Arms  and 
Legs— Untruthfulness  of  Natives 3i4 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

Interest  in  Indian  People— Inquisitiveness— Cheap  Labor— Bricklayers  at  Work- 
Human  Sawmills— Marriage  Ceremonies— Child  Marriage— A  Double  Wedding- 
Pan  and  Flowers— The  Bridegroom's  Procession— Ceremonies— Large  Sums  of 
Money  Expended— The  Hindu  Child— Namegiving  Ceremony— Boring  the  Ears 
—A  Visit  to  Col.  Ansel  — A  Missionary  Cocoanut  Tree  —  Toddy  —  The  Toddy 
Climber 34i 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

Leaving  Our  Bulsar  Home— Northward  to  Jeypore— Slaughter  of  Innocents— Man- 
Eating  Tigers— The  Sacred  Crocodiles— The  Idols  in  Jeypore— State  Elephants— 
Agra— The  Beautiful  Taj  Mahal— "An  Elegy  in  Marble  "—The  Gateway— The 
Garden— The  Marble  Screen-Snake  Charmers— Indian  Jugglers— The  Conjurer 
Khali  Khan— Wonderful  Feats— The  Mango  Tree— How  the  Trick  is  Performed 
— Claims  to  Supernatural  Power  Disproved • '^64 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  IX 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Delhi — Lucknow— Cawnpore— The  Indian  Mutiny— The  Peacock  Throne— Memorial 
Well  at  Cawnpore— Savage  Cruelty — Benares— Sleepino^  in  Tents —  The  Sacred 
River  Ganges — All  Kinds  of  Gods  lor  Sale— Bathing  in  the  Ganges — Earnestness 
of  the  Devotees — On  the  Ganges — "  Purdah  Women" — Image  of  the  God  Bhima 
— Faith-healing— Tlie  Burning  Ghats  —  Idols,  Idols  Everywhere  —  Christian(.') 
England  Making  Idols  for  India— Golden  Temple — The  Monkey  Temple 388 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

From  the  City  of  Idols  to  the  City  of  Palaces  -The  Man-eating  Tigers  of  Bengal— 
Rich  Farming  Lands — India  in  Competition  with  the  United  States  in  Raising 
Wheat— The  Indigo  Plant— Process  of  Manufacturing  the  Dye— Opium  Growing 
— Opium  Introduced  into  China  by  the  English— The  Opium  War — England's 
Greatest  National  Sin  —  Calcutta  "  City  of  Palaces  "'  —  Asiatic  Cholera  —  The 
Black  Hole  of  Calcutta, 417 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

Calcutta  to  Darjeeling— An  Upward  Climb— Railroading  above  the  Clouds  —  The 
Himalayan  Mountains— A  Grand  View— The  Ranjit  River— .A  Cane  Bridge — The 
Bhooteas— The  Prayer  Wheel— Wind  and  Water  Assist  in  Praying — Leaving  Cal- 
cutta— The  Hooghly  River— Madras— The  Juggernaut 442 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

Madras  to  Colombo— The  Isle  of  Spice— Peculiar  Boats— The  Beauty  of  Ceylon— The 
Jinrikisha — The  Cinnamon  Gardens — Nutmegs  and  Cloves  —  Cocoanuts  —  The 
Utility  of  the  Cocoa  Palm— Precious  Stones— Pearl  Fisheries 468 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

Off  for  Hong  Kong— Til e  Sea  Captain's  "Spicy  Breezes"— The  "  Kaiser-i-Hind"— 
The  Grouping  of  Passengers— Ship's  Log  from  Colombo  to  Penang— Straits  of 
Malacca— A  Pleasant  \'oyage— Singapore — Beauties  of  the  Entrance  to  the  Har- 
bor— Houses  Built  over  the  Water  —  The  Sedan  Chair  —  Botanical  Gardens — 
Through  the  Streets  of  Singapore — The  Shell  Merchant— The  Opium  Dens— .\ 
Fearful  Sight — Kava— On  the  China  Sea — Sudden  Stopping  of  the  Ship's  Engines 
— A  Nerve-trying  Experience— Hong  Kong 4g6 

CHAPTER    XX. 

Short  Stay  in  China— The  Black  Plague  — "  Pidgin  English"— The  Sedan  Chair- 
Crowded  Cities  —  Signboards  —  Houseboats  —  The  Noonday  Meal  —  A  Strange 
Fashion — Small  Feet 516 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

From  China  to  Japan— A  Staunch  Steamer  and  a  Rough  Sea— Trusting  in  God— A 
Dangerous  Coast— Nagasaki— General  Grant's  Tree— A  Touching  Incident— The 
Inland  Sea  of  Japan — Kobe— .A  Japanese  Passport— Journey  to  Kyoto— The  Po- 
liteness of  the  Japanese — The  Ancient  Capital  of  Japan— Historical — Will  .\dams 
— Commodore  Perry —The  Japanese  Dress— Absence  of  Jewelry— The  Kyoto  Jin- 
rikisha- The  Temple  of  Kv.annon— One  Thousand  and  One  Images— The  Bud- 
dha  531 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 


A  Buddhist  Temple— A  Crowd  of  Worshipers— Selling  Prayers— Plastering  an  Idol— 
The  Liberality  of  the  Idol  Worshipers— Kinging  a  Bell  to  Awaken  the  God— The 
Food  of  the  Gods— The  Japanese  Kago— Purchasing  a  Kimono— Japanese  Chil- 
dren— From  Kyoto  to  Yokohama — The  Japanese  Pipes — Letters  from  Home — 
Nikko  the  City  of  Temples— The  Emperor's  Bridge— General  Grant's  Modesty— 
A  Japanese  Hotel — Eating  under  Difficulties— The  Sacred  White  Horse— Bean 
Selling— Tokio—"  Oh,  How  I  Wish  I  Could  Feel  an  Earthquake!  "—Our  Experi- 
ence with  Earthquakes— Destruction  Wrought  by  the  Quaking  Earth— Earth- 
quake Houses— The  Kingdom  of  Christ  Shall  Not  Be  Shaken, 536 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 

The  Land  of  Flowers— The  Flower  Seller— The  Chrysanthemum— Cherry  Blossoms 
— Nothing  but  Leaves — The  Cherry  Blossom  Festival— The  Homeward  Journey 
— Picking  Up  a  Day— Honolulu— The  Golden  Gate— Home  at  Last, 587 


IPK.EIT'J^CIE]. 


God  permits  some  to  travel  and  see  the  marvels  of  his 
works  displayed  in  the  creation  of  the  world.  Others  are 
shut  in  by  en\ironments  which  j^reclude  all  possibility  of 
seeing  even  their  own  country.  Those  who  can  and  do  go 
are  under  obligation  to  those  who  remain  at  home.  Recog- 
nizing this  obligation,  the  writer  feels  constrained  to  give 
this  record  of  a  tour  around  the  world.  It  is  written  with 
the  hope  that  it  will  be  helpful  to  those  who  read.  God 
has  given  us  the  desire  to  know,  and  knowledge  broadens 
the  mind  and  gives  one  a  higher  conception  of  the  might 
and  power  of  the  great  Creator. 

The  "  we  "  used  by  the  author  includes  his  wife,  who 
was  his  constant  companion  on  the  long  journe)'  around  the 
globe,  and  who  has  been  a  constant  inspiration  to  him  in  all 
his  work. 

The  record  of  northern  Europe  includes  in  part  two 
journe}-s,  and  hitherto  unpublished  notes  on  both  arc  drawn 
upon.  In  these  tours  we  traveled  over  fift\-  thousand 
miles,  visited  four  of  the  great  divisions  of  the  globe,  pass- 
ing through  twent\'-four  different  countries,  kingdoms  and 
empires.  We  spent  nearly  one  hundred  days  at  sea,  sailing 
on  more  than  thirty  different  ships. 

During  the  tours  of  a  }ear  and  a  half  we  enjo)-ed  good 
health,  and  in  ever\-  respect  the  vo\-ages  were  pleasant  and 


XI 


Xll 


PREFACE. 


profitable.  W'c  felt  that  God  was  with  us,  and  to  him  we 
give  praise  for  his  wonderful  f,roodncss  to  us. 

I  gratefully  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to  authors 
whose  works  I  have  used  and  quoted,  to  Grant  Mahan  of 
Mount  Morris  College  for  valuable  assistance  rendered  in 
preparing  the  work  for  the  press,  and  to  L.  A.  Plate  for 
proof  reading. 

The  author  takes  this  occasion  to  express  his  obliga- 
tions to  the  church  and  a  generous  public  who  have  given 
such  warm  welcome  to  his  preceding  works.  He  believes 
the  favor  shown  his  books  is  in  excess  of  their  merit.  This 
record  is  sent  out  to  the  world  in  the  hope  that  it  may  do 
good  and  add  to  the  sum  total  of  human  happiness. 


J, 


Mt.  Morris,  III.,  July  i,  iSg8. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Page 

Street  Scene  in  London 27 

North  Cape 36 

Svartisen  Glacier,  Norway 43 

A  Whale,  Norway 48 

Roskilde,  Denmark, 52 

Malmo,  Sweden 53 

A  Farmhouse, 55 

The  Milkman, 58 

The  Midnight  Sun 65 

Market  Place,  Halle 68 

Market  Women 7° 

Village  of  Schwarzenau, 71 

The  Bridge  at  Schwarzenau 72 

Hotel  at  Schwarzenau 78 

The  Road  to  Schwarzenau, 79 

Old  Castles  on  the  Rhine 80 

Luther  Monument 82 

A  Swiss  Cottage 84 

Lucerne,  Switzerland 87 

Tell's  Monument 89 

Fluelen,  Switzerland 92 

Tell's  Chapel 93 

The  Axenstrasse,  Switzerland,    ....    94 

A  Swiss  Village, 96 

Milan  Cathedral, 99 

Leonardo  da  Vinci loi 

The  Last  Supper, 105 

In  the  Ruins  of  Pompeii ic8 

House  of  the  Vertii, Pompeii no 

The  Acropolis,  Athens 113 

Gateway  to  Market  Place 117 

Market  Place,  Athens,     ........  119 

Mars'  Hill,  Athens 121 

The  Parthenon,  Athens, 125 

Shop  in  Athens 127 

Greek  Girl 129 

A  Greek  Soldier, 133 

Smyrna 137 

Our  Pilgrims  at  Smyrna, 144 

(xiii) 


Page 

Tomb  of  Polycarp 145 

Lunch  in  the  Temple  of  Diana  at  Eph- 

esus 148 

Jaffa iS6 

The  Threshing  Floor 161 

A  Group  of  Lepers 165 

The  One-handled  Plow, 178 

Measuring  Grain 181 

Women  Grinding  at  the  Mill 185 

The  Shepherd  and  his  Flock 1S9 

Abana,  Damascus 192 

Fishing  in  Galilee 194 

Ishmaelites, 195 

King's  Wine  Press,  Jerusalem 198 

Natives  by  the  Wayside 201 

A  Camel  Train 206 

Farmers  at  Work  in  Egypt 20S 

A  Hard  Climb. — Pyramid  in  Egypt,     .  209 
The  Pilgrims  on  Top  of  Clieops,    .   .   .211 

Mounted  Pilgrims 212 

In  the  Ezbekiyeh  Gardens,  Cairo,     .   .  214 

A  Street  Sleeper 215 

Donkey  Riding  in  Cairo 218 

Water  Wheel,  Egypt, 219 

Depot,  Bombay 232 

A  Group  of  Parsis 236 

Parsi  Girls 239 

Towers  of  Silence 243 

A  Festival  in  Bombay,  Native  Street,  .  249 

Goldsmith  at  Bombay, 253 

Full  Jeweled 255 

The  Rajah  and  Cabinet 267 

Hindu  Girl 271 

Tamping  the  Streets 27; 

Ganesa,  the  Elephant-headed  God,  .   .  285 

Brahman  Family 289 

An  Idol 295 

The  Four-headed  Brahma 299 

Offering  to  an  Idol, 309 


XIV 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Funeral  Pyre 315 

Burning  Ghat,  Benares 321 

A  Native  Hut, 325 

A  Kraliman  at  Prayers 330 

Natives  with  Mill, 333 

Tamil  Woman 353 

Indian  Ox  Cart 357 

The  Toddy  Climbers 361 

Entrance  to  Taj  Garden 369 

The  Taj  Mahal 373 

Tomb  Screen,  Taj  Mahal,  .   .....   .377 

Snake  Charmer 380 

An  Hindu  Holy  Man, 386 

Memorial  Well,  Cawnpore 393 

Bathing  at  Benares 401 

The  Golden  Temple 411 

Swami  Bhaskara  Naud  Saraswati,  Holy 

Man  of  Benares 415 

Native  Preachers  in  a  Village 436 

Darjeeling.  — Himalayan  Peaks  in  the 

Distance 447 

Bridge  over  the  Ranjit 450 

Banian  Tree,  Calcutta, 456 

Kali  and  her  Demon  Spouse,  ....  .457 
Milk  Sellers,  Madras, 462 


Temple  of  Juggernaut 464 

Native  Prince,  Southern  India 467 

The  Jinrikisha 471 

Elephants,  Ceylon, 479 

Kandy,  Island  of  Ceylon, 4S1 

jTempIe  of  Dalada,  Kandy 485 

Tea  Pickers 4S7 

Traveling  in  China 501 

Hong  Kong,  China 5n 

Traveling  in  China 519 

Street  in  Hong  Kong, 523 

A  Chinese  Woman 527 

Japanese  Ladies  in  Winter  Dress,     .   .  541 

The  Japanese  Jinrikisha 545 

Temple  of  1000  Gods,  Kyoto 549 

Buddha  Daibutsu 553 

Japanese  Temple  Ground, 558 

Kago,  Japanese  Traveling  Chair,  .  .   .  563 
Japanese  Boys  Carrying  Babies.    ...  567 

Sacred  Bridge,  Nikko 573 

Effects  of  Earthquake 577 

Village  Destroyed  by  Earthquake,    .   .  581 
Earth  Opened  by  Earthquake,    ....  585 

The  Flower  Seller 585 

The  Chrysanthemum  Garden 593 


GIRDLING  THE  GLOBE. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Across  the  Atlantic  —  London —  The  Palace  of  a    Queen  —  Paris  — 
Gilded  Sin  —  Results  of  Infidelity. 

It  was  on  a  bright,  beautiful  May  day  morninf^  in 
1895  that  we  left  our  pleasant  home  in  the  embowered 
village  of  Mount  ]\Iorris  for  our  tour  around  the  world. 
Eastward  we  took  our  course,  and  the  very  moment  we 
started  from  home  our  homeward  journey  began.  Whether 
we  sailed  across  the  broad  Atlantic,  or  on  the  North, 
the  Baltic,  the  Adriatic,  the  /Egean,  the  Mediterranean, 
the  Red,  the  China  or  the  Yellow  Sea,  or  on  the  Indian 
or  Pacific  Ocean,  we  said  to  each  other  so  many,  many 
times,  as  we  thought  of  native  land  and  of  loved  ones 
there,  "  Every  day's  travel  takes  us  nearer  home."  When 
we  traveled  overland  through  England,  and  northward 
to  the  "  Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun,"  and  southward 
through  German}-,  and  over  the  snowy  heights  of  Switzer- 
land, and  the  sunny  plains  of  Italy,  and  the  vine-clad 
hills  of  Greece,  and  the  sacred  mountains  and  plains  of 
the  Holy  Land,  and  the  fruitful  valley  of  the  Nile,  and 
rmong  the  teeming  millions  of  India,  and  the  spice  is- 
lands of  the  Southern  Seas, — wherever  we  wandered,  — 
there  was  always  present  with  us  the  happy  thought.  We 
are  going  home.  Heretofore  on  our  travels  we  have  had, 
when  starting,  an  obiec*^ive   point,  and  when  it  was  reached 

U5J 


l6  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

\vc  bc[^an  our  return  voyage.  But  on  this  journey  we 
continue  our  course  eastward  and  homeward  until,  the 
Lord  willing,  we  land  at  San  Francisco,  and,  still  pursuing 
our  eastward  way,  finally  reach  our  home  again.  We 
are  impressed  with  the  thought  that  our  journey  is  some- 
thing like  the  great  voyage  of  life  which  we  are  all  mak- 
ing. There  is  no  turning  back.  Onward  is  the  word, 
until,  if  we  follow  the  compass  and  chart  of  God,  the  goal 
is  won  and  the  haven  of  eternal  rest  is  entered. 

Leaving  New  York  in  the  springtime,  on  one  of  the 
big  North  Atlantic  boats  with  some  five  hundred  cabin 
passengers  aboard,  is  like  starting  out  on  a  summer  pleas- 
ure trip.  The  "floating  palace"  moves  almost  imper- 
ceptibly down  the  river.  You  are  conscious  of  motion 
only  because  the  buildings  on  both  shores  are  moving 
backward.  Presently  New  York,  with  its  throbbing  pul- 
sations of  busy  commercial  and  social  life,  is  left  behind. 
Now  the  ship's  speed  is  increased,  and  the  grass-covered 
hills  of  Staten  Island,  the  summer  resorts  with  their  barn- 
like hotels,  and  the  Atlantic  highlands,  rich  in  foliage 
and  verdure,  flit  by  in  quick  succession.  Then,  when 
you  begin  to  feel  that  the  boat  should  land  you  on  some 
greensward,  for  a  day's  rambling  and  meditation,  you 
are  out  at  sea  and  suddenly  awaken  to  the  fact  that  you 
have  the  broad  Atlantic  before  you  and  that  many  days 
must  pass  before  you  see  land  again. 

Land  again!  How  one  longs  for  the  sight  of  it  as  the 
days  glide  into  weeks,  with  only  sea  and  sky  to  look 
upon.  The  eyes  grow  weary  seeking  in  vain  for  something 
fixed  upon  which  to  rest.  There  is  something  about  the 
sight  of  land  under  such  circumstances,  that,  as  some 
one  has  said,  "supplies  a  want  that  nothing  else  can  fill." 
Whether   it    be   your   own    coast    or    some    foreign    land. 


CO  o 

GCZ 


ON    BOARD    THE    PARIS.  I7 

it  is  all  the  same.  The  cry  of  "  Land  ho!  "  brings  to  the 
upper  deck  even  the  invalid  who  has  not  left  his  cabin 
during  the  entire  voyage.  How  you  feast  your  eyes  as 
they  rest  on  the  solid  earth,  for  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  resting  your  eyes  on  the  sea.  It  is  much  too  active 
and  restless  to  afford  rest.  The  sight  of  land  brings  to 
you  a  joyous,  hopeful,  restful  feeling,  that  is  pleasant  to 
enjoy.  We  heard  of  a  young  man  who  emerged  from 
his  cabin,  as  the  ship  entered  New  York  harbor,  to  dis- 
cover what  all  the  other  passengers  knew,  that  the  ship 
was  in  full  sight  of  land.  He  gave  a  shout  of  glad  re- 
lief and  pleasure.  "That,"  he  cried,  pointing  to  the  west, 
"is  Staten  Island;  but  that,"  pointing  to  the  right,  "is 
LAND." 

I  quote  from  my  diary  June  19,  1895:  At  nine  A.  M. 
we  boarded  the  "  Paris  "  in  New  York  harbor.  A  great 
throng  of  visitors  crowded  the  deck  and  rooms  of  the 
great  ship.  Fifteen  hundred,  we  were  told,  were  on  board 
for  the  voyage.  These,  with  the  visitors,  made  the  throng 
so  great  that  it  was  impossible  to  move  about.  At  ten 
the  signal  was  given  for  visitors  to  go  ashore,  and  at 
eleven  the  voyage  began.  This  is  my  seventh  voyage 
across  the  Atlantic,  and,  as  we  sail  out  upon  the  uncertain 
sea,  I  wonder  how  it  will  end. 

"  Life  giving,  death  giving,  which  shall  it  be? 
O  breath  of  the  merciful,  merciless  sea." 

Hitherto  I  have  always  had  some  feeling  of  anxiety 
as  to  the  result  of  my  sea  voyages.  Now  I  am  entirely 
free  from  care.  It  rests  in  God's  hands,  and,  whatever 
comes,  all  will  be  well.  The  evening  shades  darken  the 
sea  and  I  go  to  rest  with  this  prayer: 


l8  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

"The  day  is  ended,  ere  I  sink  to  sleep 
My  weary  spirit  seeks  repose  in  thine, 
Father,  forgive  my  trespasses  and  keep 
This  httle  life  of  mine.  » 

"  With  loving-kindness  curtain  thou  my  bed, 
And  cool  in  rest  my  weary  pilgrim  feet; 
Thy  pardon  be  the  pillow  for  my  head. 
So  shall  my  rest  be  sweet. 

"  At  peace  with  all  the  world,  dear  Lord,  and  thee. 
No  fears  my  soul's  unwavering  faith  can  shake. 
All's  well,  whichever  side  the  grave  fcr  me 
The  morning  light  may  break." 

The  "  Paris  "  has  fifteen  hundred  souls  on  board, "and 
still  there's  room  for  more,"  was  said  of  our  ship.  By 
crowding  a  little,  here  and  there,  two  thousand  men  and 
women  may  be  carried  across  the  ocean  on  this  great 
American  liner.  Think  of  a  country  town  with  a  popu- 
lation of  two  thousand,  with  its  life  and  activity.  The 
"  Paris  "  would  provide  comfortable  quarters  for  every  soul, 
and  have  room  and  to  spare  for  all  their  personal  effects 
in  her  gigantic  hold,  and  would  take  them  all  across  the 
Atlantic  at  one  time. 

Our  voyage  was  delightfully  pleasant.  Two  days  we 
enjoyed  a  stiff  breeze.  This  gave  those  who  were  not  good 
sailors  an  opportunity  to  become  acquainted  with  the  ogre 
of  ocean, — seasickness.  But  few  escape  the  dread  malady. 
Then  came  days  of  calm  weather  and  smooth  seas,  and 
everybody  was  happy  and  contented. 

A  glorious  sunset  at  sea.  The  only  one  of  the  kind  I 
ever  witnessed.  Low  down  on  the  western  horizon  a  bank 
of  clouds,  tipping  the  water's  edge,  waited  the  declining 
god  of  day.  As  the  sun  touched  the  upper  border  of 
fleecy  clouds,  the  effect  of  gold  and  crimson  on  sea  and 
sky  was    most    gorgeous.      Through    a    rift    in    the    clouds 


LANDING   AT    SOUTHAMPTON.  I9 

the  brilliant  white  light  flashed  through  crimson  and  gold, 
making  a  pathway  of  golden  light  on  the  Gca,  reaching 
to  the  open  gateway  of  glory  in  the  clouds.  It  seemed 
as  if  the  everlasting  gates  were  lifted  up  for  the  entrance 
of  the  expected  King  of  Glory.  A  gentle  bree.^.e  made 
the  sea  all  tremulous,  and  the  tiny  wavelets  reflected  the 
light  as  would  a  million  mirrors.  It  was  a  scene  of  inde- 
scribable beauty,  once  beheld  never  to  be  forgotten.  Those 
who  saw  it  were  deeply  impressed,  and  from  many  a  heart 
went  up  adoration  to  God  who  painted  this  marvelou3 
scene.  Then  the  twilight  and  darkness  came,  shutting  out 
from  vision  sky  and  sea.  But  the  wonderful  picture  was 
ours.     Surely  "  a  thing  of  beauty  is  a  joy  forever." 

Our  Atlantic  voyage  is  ended.  The  "Paris"  is  made 
fast  to  the  pier  at  Southampton,  England.  A  few  hasty 
farewells  are  said  to  ship  friends,  a  nominal  examination 
of  our  baggage  is  made  by  polite  and  accommodating 
custom  ofificers,  and  we  are  seated  in  the  cars  ready  to 
start  for  London.  Seven  days  and  a  half  from  the  harbor 
at  New  York  to  the  landing  at  Southampton,  A  safe, 
pleasant  voyage.  The  Lord  was  with  us  all  the  way,  and 
brought  us  to  our  desired  haven.  May  he  abide  with  us 
all  our  journey  through,  and  be  with  us  when  our  earthly 
pilgrimage  ends,  as  soon  it  must,  for  the  shadows  are 
lengthening. 

London!  A  city  of  five  and  a  half  million  souls,  with 
half  a  million  or  more  houses,  great  and  small,  including 
fourteen  hundred  churches  and  seven  thousand  five  hun- 
dred drinking  saloons,  with  streets  and  roads  in  aggregate 
that  would  reach  from  New  York  to  San  Francisco  and 
back  again  to  Chicago,  and  which  are  lighted  by  more 
than  a  million  gas  lamps;  a  city  whose  inhabitants  eat 
annually  over  seventeen  million  bushels  of  wheat,  two  and 


20  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

a  quarter  million  beeves,  sheep  and  hogs,  making  an  an- 
nual meat  bill  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  million  dollars, 
drink  fifty-five  million  gallons  of  beer,  wine  and  spirits, 
and  burn  eight  million  tons  of  coal;  a  city  with  more 
Irish  than  in  Dublin,  with  more  Roman  Catholics  than 
in  Rome,  and  more  Jews  than  in  Palestine;  a  city  older 
than  the  Christian  era,  whose  history  is  the  history  of 
the  rise  and  progress  of  the  English-speaking  race,  and  in 
which  laws  are  enacted  that  govern  empires  and  countries 
in  all  parts  of  the  world, — such  a  city  is  the  world's  great 
metropolis, — the  City  of  London. 

It  has  been  said  that  to  see  London  is  to  see  the  world, 
but,  having  seen  neither  the  world  nor  London,  we  are 
not  prepared  to  say  whether  the  saying  is  correct.  It  is 
true  we  have  spent  some  weeks  in  the  city,  and  have 
visited  a  number  of  its  most  interesting  places;  we  have 
seen  something  of  its  streets  and  great  public  buildings,  and 
of  its  rushing,  mighty  tide  of  business  life;  we  have  seen 
something  of  its  misery  and  wretchedness,  as  we  have 
met  a  few  of  its  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  beggars 
and  paupers  on  the  streets;  we  have  seen  or  rather  felt 
its  fog,  but  we  have  not  seen  the  city;  that  would  take 
months  instead  of  weeks. 

In  London  we  heard  two  of  the  world's  noted  preach- 
ers. Dr.  Parker  and  Canon  Farrar.  Dr.  Parker  is  an  in- 
teresting speaker  and  a  deep  thinker.  He  has  a  command- 
ing presence  and  a  magnetism  that  carries  his  audience 
with  him.  He  speaks  with  great  deliberation,  and  con- 
stantly impresses  one  with  the  thought  that  he  is  using 
only  a  small  portion  of  his  power.  Once  or  twice  during 
the  sermon  to  which  we  listened,  he  burst  forth  in  a  strain 
of  fiery  eloquence  that  revealed  his  real  power.  His  au- 
dience appeared  to  be  electrified  b\-  these  outbursts.     His 


Canon  farrar.  5i 

lani^Liai^e  is  well  chosen  and  full  of  beautiful  figures. 
Here  is  one.  Speaking  of  the  grave,  he  asked,  with  a  ris- 
ing inflection  of  the  voice,  "What  is  the  grave?"  and 
then  pausing  a  moment,  so  that  the  question  might  have 
its  full  force  on  the  audience,  he  answered  in  a  voice  full 
of  pathos,  "  A  wound  made  in  the  earth  by  the  metal  of 
death."  Again,  speaking  of  men  who  deny  God,  he  asked, 
"What  is  a  man  without  God?"  The  answer  was  full  of 
scathing  contempt,  "A  circumference  without  a  center; 
a  poor,  vain  attempt  to  be  a  circle,  contorted,  twisted, 
vanishing  into  nothing."  The  tone  of  voice  in  which  these 
words  were  uttered  made  them  wonderfully  effective. 
His  sermon  was  full  of  sharp,  bristling  points,  and  they 
were  put  in  such  language  that  his  audience  could  easily 
understand.  Whatever  may  be  said  of  Dr.  Parker's  the- 
ology and  of  his  orthodoxy,  he  certainly  has  a  wonderful 
power  in  the  pulpit. 

Canon  Farrar,  the  celebrated  author  and  leading  min- 
ister in  the  Established  Church  of  England,  is  as  different 
from  Dr.  Parker  as  it  is  possible  for  two  men  to  be.  He 
is  of  medium  stature,  with  a  full,  round  face,  and  speaks 
rather  rapidly,  without  any  attempt  at  oratory.  He  is  a 
man  of  great  learning,  and  carries  his  scholastic  attain- 
ments with  him  into  the  pulpit.  He  preaches  to  members 
of  both  Houses  of  Parliament,  and  whenever  he  preaches 
he  has  among  his  auditors  members  of  the  English  no- 
bility and  oftentimes  of  the  royal  family.  In  the  center 
of  the  church  is  a  seat  reserved  for  Americans.  We  lis- 
tened with  much  interest  to  his  thirty-minute  sermon. 
It  was  a  learned  dissertation  on  the  philosophy  of  the  laws 
of  nature,  and  abounded  in  fine  passages.  It  was  a  learned, 
finished  discourse,  intensely  intellectual  and  full  of  deep 
thought,  but  to  us  it  seemed  like  a  cut  diamond,  polished 


22  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

and  sparkling,  but  cold  and  lifeless.  There  was  in  it  much 
food  for  the  intellect,  but  very  little  for  the  heart  and  soul. 

At  St.  Paul's,  London's  great  cathedral,  we  heard  the 
Dean  read  the  Episcopal  service.  It  was  in  the  highest 
degree  formal,  for  the  service  "  is  High  Church."  It  was 
the  very  aristocracy  of  religious  service;  cold,  formal, 
and  dignified.  From  St.  Paul's  to  the  Salvation  Army 
hall  is  but  a  short  distance,  but  the  contrast  is  striking 
enough  to  make  one  feel  that  he  has  entered  another 
world.  There  the  rich  appointments,  the  millions  of 
wealth,  and  the  quiet  reserve  and  cold  dignity  character- 
istic of  the  "High  Church"  service;  here  the  loud  talk, 
the  aba?idon,  the  swelling  song  service,  the  hearty  "  God 
bless  you  "  and  amens,  the  testimony  of  the  lowly  to  the 
saving  power  of  Jesus,  the  tears  of  the  penitent,  and 
all  the  zeal  and  earnestness  characteristic  of  Salvation 
Army  methods.  There  the  men  and  women  of  wealth, 
of  proud  family  titles;  here  the  fallen  of  the  street,  the 
poor  of  London's  teeming  millions.  Could  contrast  be 
greater?  If  Christ  were  to  come  to  London  to-da}',  where 
would  you  expect  to  find  him?  Would  }-ou  go  to  St. 
Paul's  Cathedral,  among  the  rich  and  mighty,  to  search 
for  him,  or  would  you  go  among  the  poor  and  lowly? 

London  presents  many  sad  sights,  but  the  saddest  to 
us  was  a  woman  staggering  along  the  streets  in  a  state  of 
intoxication.  We  saw  women  in  other  parts  of  Europe 
hitched  with  dogs  to  carts;  v/e  saw  them  dragging  harrows 
across  ploughed  fields,  but  seeing  them  thus  did  not  touch 
our  hearts  as  did  the  sight  of  the  drunken  woman  of  Lon- 
don. We  have  always  given  woman  a  high  place  in  the 
world,  and  have  had  a  high  appreciation  of  her  worth  and 
influence.  After  due  reflection,  at  a  time  of  life  when 
mere   sentiment   enters    not    so   largely    into    an    estimate 


WINDSOR    PALACE.  23 

of  the  formative  influences  upon  my  own  life,  I  set  it  down 
as  my  best  judgment,  that  whatever  good  may  come  of 
my  having  lived  in  this  world,  is  largely  due  to  the  in- 
fluence of  two  of  the  nearest  and  dearest  friends  I  have 
ever  known, — wife  and  mother.  The  one  has  long  since 
gone  to  her  rich  reward,  the  other  is  still  with  me,  my 
constant  companion  in  all  my  wanderings,  my  ever-ready 
helper  in  time  of  need;  in  the  fullest  and  truest  sense  of 
the  word,  my  better  half.  How  it  saddens  the  heart  to 
see  a  woman  reeling  from  a  dram  shop!  But  why?  Does 
she  not  have  the  same  right  to  drink,  chew  and  smoke 
that  her  brother  does?  Abstractly  the  answer  is  yes,  but 
we  do  thank  God  that  she  is  so  much  purer,  so  much 
truer,  and  so  much  better  in  every  way,  that  she  stands 
immeasurably  above  man  in  these  things.  But  when  she 
does  fall  from  her  high  place,  what  a  fall  there  is! 

The  home  of  the  Queen  is  to  be  found  at  Windsor 
Palace,  twenty-one  miles  from  London,  and  it  is  the  fa- 
vorite home  of  Victoria,  England's  most  honored  ruler. 
A  day  spent  here  took  us  away  from  the  smoke  and  fog 
of  London.  The  royal  family  was  absent  and  the  palace 
was  open  to  visitors  who  had  secured,  from  the  Lord 
Chamberlain,  permission  to  enter.  Without  difficulty  the 
necessary  papers  were  secured,  and  we  were  admitted  to 
the  royal  residence. 

Thirty-four  years  ago  Prince  Albert,  the  husband  of 
Queen  Victoria,  died,  and  since  then  she  has  lived  in 
widowhood.  For  many  years  she  secluded  herself  from 
society  and  mourned  for  her  departed  husband.  To  his 
memory  she  has  erected  within  the  Castle  walls  a  me- 
morial chapel  bearing  her  husband's  name,  where  he  sleeps 
his  last  sleep.  It  stands  as  one  among  the  most  beautiful 
structures  in  the  world,  a  monument   of  wifely   love  and 


24  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

queenly  devotion.  "The  interior,  beautiful  with  colored 
marble,  mosaics,  sculpture,  stained  glass,  precious  stones 
and  gilding  in  extraordinary  profusion  and  richness,  must 
certainly  be  numbered  among  the  finest  works  of  its  kind 
in  the  world.  The  ceiling  is  fan-shaped  and  vaulted,  and 
is  composed  of  Venetian  enamel  mosaics,  representing 
angels  bearing  devices  relating  to  the  Prince,  and  with 
shields  symbolical  of  the  Passion.  At  the  sides  of  the 
west  entrance  are  two  marble  figures  representing  the 
Angels  of  Life  and  Death.  The  walls  are  decorated  with 
a  series  of  pictures  of  Scriptural  subjects,  inlaid  with  col- 
ored marbles  in  which  twenty-eight  different  kinds  of 
marble  have  been  used.  About  each  scene  is  a  white 
marble  medallion  of  a  member  of  the  royal  family,  while 
between  them  are  bas-reliefs,  emblematical  of  the  virtues. 
Round  the  edges  of  the  pictures  are  smaller  reliefs  in  white 
and  red  marble,  and  other  ornamentation.  Below  the  mar- 
ble pictures  is  a  dark  green  marble  bench;  and  the  floor, 
which  is  very  handsome,  is  also  of  colored  marble.  The 
stained  glass  windows  exhibit  ancestors  of  the  Prince, 
while  those  in  the  chancel  represent  Scriptural  subjects. 
The  wall  behind  the  altar  is  covered  with  reliefs  and  is 
inlaid  with  colored  marble,  malachite,  porphyry,  lapis 
lazuli,  and  alabaster,  having  for  their  subject  the  resur- 
rection. Rubies,  emeralds,  and  other  precious  stones  are 
set  in  great  profusion  in  the  walls.  In  the  center  of  the 
chapel  is  the  cenotaph,  or  monument  of  the  Prince.  It 
consists  of  a  handsome  sarcophagus  of  colored  marble 
enriched  with  reliefs.  On  top  of  the  coffin  is  a  re- 
cumbent figure  of  the  Prince  in  white  marble."  Thus 
writes  an  unknown  author,  and  the  picture  is  not  over- 
drawn. An  immense  sum  of  money  was  expended  on  the 
structure.     Victoria  visits  the   place  very  often  and  kneels 


STATE    APARTMENTS.  25 

to  pray  at  the  tomb  of  the  husband  whose  memory  she 
still  reveres,  althoui^^h  he  has  been  dead  more  than  a  third 
of  a  century. 

The  Queen's  palace  is  beautiful,  and  its  rich  splendor 
cannot  well  be  described.  It  is  the  home  of  an  earthly 
sovereign  upon  whose  dominion  the  sun  never  sets.  She 
is  deeply  loved  for  her  virtues  by  her  people  and  is  the 
most  honored  ruler  in  Europe.  Her  private  apartments 
are  to  be  seen  only  by  special  permission  during  the  ab- 
sence of  the  sovereign.  They  are  most  handsomely  and 
sumptuously  fitted  up.  All  that  money  and  art  could  do 
has  been  done  to  decorate  and  beautify  the  Queen's  pri- 
vate home,  and  England,  or  even  Europe,  can  show 
nothing  finer  or  more  artistic  than  these  rooms.  In  them 
is  to  be  seen  a  fine  collection  of  rare  china,  of  oriental, 
Chelsea,  and  Sevres  manufacture,  rich  mediaeval  and  ori- 
ental cabinets  of  curious  design  and  workmanship,  heavy 
gold  and  silver  plate  of  great  value,  fine  oil  paintings, 
the  work  of  the  masters,  and  costly  furniture,  making  al- 
together the  finest  private  residence  in  Europe. 

The  state  apartments  are  finely  decorated  v;ith  paint- 
ings and  hung  with  tapestry,  and  are  rich  in  fine  carvings 
and  gilt  work.  The  entire  suite  of  rooms,  ten  in  number, 
is  richly  and  expensively  furnished.  Costly  tapestry, 
representing  the  story  of  Esther  and  Mordecai,  and  fine 
paintings,  the  work  of  the  world's  great  artists,  cover  the 
walls  and  ceilings.  The  floors  are  of  polished  oak,  cov- 
ered in  many  places  with  expensive  rugs  and  velvets. 
We  enter  the  audience  chamber  and  pass  through  room 
after  room  until  we  reach  the  throne  room,  one  of  the 
most  richly-furnished  rooms  in  the  palace.  In  one  of  the 
apartments  we  were  shown  the  presents  sent  to  the  Queen 
in    1887,   when   she   celebrated   the   golden  anniversary  of 


26  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

her  reign.  The  crowned  heads  of  Europe  vied  with  each 
other  in  sending  costly  gifts.  The  entire  collection,  con- 
sisting of  vases,  plate,  and  many  other  articles,  is  made 
of  solid  gold  in  the  highest  style  of  the  goldsmith's  art, 
and  is  of  immense  value. 

Back  again  to  London  with  its  fog  and  smoke.  It  is 
said  the  fog  is  so  thick  at  times  that  one  may  stick  his 
umbrella  into  it  and  hang  his  hat  on  the  handle;  but  this 
statement  must  be  taken  with  some  degree  of  allowance. 
London  is  by  far  the  busiest  city  in  Europe,  or,  for  that 
matter,  in  the  world.  We  passed  up  and  down  High  Hol- 
born  Street  a  number  of  times,  and  the  moving  mass  of 
cabs,  omnibuses,  wagons,  carts,  and  humanity,  was  a  con- 
stant surprise  to  us.  Two  great  moving  processions  press- 
ing on  constantly,  the  one  east,  the  other  west,  resemble  two 
great  rivers,  flowing  forever  onward.  At  the  street  crossing 
policemen  stand,  and  every  few  minutes  stop  the  mighty 
procession  to  allow  other  smaller  streams  to  cross  High 
Holborn,  and  then  the  street  is  blocked  for  miles.  Start- 
ing up  and  stopping,  the  procession  moves  on.  And  so  the 
great  throng  rushes  on  from  Monday  morning  until  Satur- 
day night, — a  great  moving  mass  of  humanit}-. 

The  rich  and  the  poor  jostle  each  other  on  the  busy 
streets,  and  oh  how  many  haggard  faces,  upon  which  are 
drawn  in  deep  lines  the  story  of  sin  and  miser\',  one  sees  in 
the  great  throng!  Here  are  boys  and  girls  picking  up  a  liv- 
ing on  the  streets,  into  whose  darkened  lives  no  sunshine  ev- 
er comes.  The  pinched  features  of  want  and  poverty,  the 
hardened  expressions  of  sin  and  crime  on  prematurely  old 
faces,  are  to  be  met  on  every  hand.  The  picture  is  dark 
enough  and  stands  out  in  darker  contrast  when  compared 
with  the  lavish  expenditure  of  money  at  Windsor.  Booth 
has  not  overdrawn  the  picture  in  his  "  Darkest  England." 


STREET  SCENE  IN  LONDON. 


V 


Cb-auncey    M.    Depew    says    that    one    may   see    more 
wretchedness  and  misery  in  London  than  any  other  city  in 


STREET  SCENE  IN  LONDON. 


the  world;  and  he  might  have  given  the  cause, — seven  thou- 
sand five  hundred  drinking  places   dealing  out  misery  and 


28  CIRDLIXC;    THE    CLOBE. 

ruin,  many  of  thcni  t\\cnl\'-four  hours  a  day  for  365  days  in 
the  year.  Take  out  of  London  the  seven  thousand  five  hun- 
dred saloons  and  the  results  of  the  work  they  have  done, 
and  \ou  might  write  the  word  "brightest  "  instead  of  "  dark- 
est" before  Britannia's  favorite  name.  But  why  pursue  the 
theme  further?  We  have  the  same  evil  at  home  in  almost 
every  hamlet,  village,  town  and  city  in  America.  Oh  when 
will  the  day  come  when  the  saloon  power  will  be  wiped 
from  the  face  of  the  earth?     God  speed  the  day! 

From  London  to  Paris,  by  way  of  Dover  and  Calais, 
is  a  day's  journey,  provided  )'ou  count  in  a  portion  of  the 
night.  So  it  was  three  years  ago  when  we  made  the  jour- 
ney. One  is  glad  to  get  away  from  the  rush  and  roar  of 
trade  and  commerce,  the  grimy  atmosphere,  and  the  suffer- 
ing mass  of  poverty-stricken  humanity  in  London.  It  was 
a  real  pleasure  to  leave  it  all,  to  breathe  once  more  the  pure 
country  air,  and  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  bright  sunlight  fall- 
ing on  green  fields.  Old  England,  as  seen  from  the  car 
windows — and,  outside  of  London,  this  was  our  only  means 
of  observation — is  a  beautiful  country.  Well-kept  country 
houses,  highly-cultivated  farms,  with  here  and  there  the 
battlements  of  an  old  castle  nestling  in  groves  of  ancient 
oaks,  beautiful  green  lawns,  bright  with  rich-colored  flowers, 
hedges  trimmed  and  pruned  to  wonderful  evenness  and 
smoothness,  fields  without  waste  places,  fine-looking  herds 
of  thorough-bred  cattle  quietly  grazing  on  the  rich  pasture 
land,  men  and  women,  boys  and  girls,  at  work  gathering  in 
the  late  fall  crops, — all  this  we  saw  like  a  fleeting  panorama 
as  we  rushed  across  the  country  sorrxC  sixty  miles  from 
London  to  Dover. 

At  one  place,  not  far  from  a  way  station,  we  saw  a  pack 
of  English  hounds  in  full  hue  and  cry  after  a  fox.  Follow- 
ing the  hounds,  on  horseback,  were  a  number  of  the  Eng- 


ENGLISH    HOUNDS.  29 

lish  gentry.  They  rode  at  full  speed  across  the  fields,  their 
well-trained  hunting  horses  clearing  hedges  and  ditches  at 
a  single  leap  and  keeping  well  up  with  the  hounds.  The 
fox  was  far  in  the  lead,  and  we  confess  our  sympathies  were 
all  on  the  side  of  renard.  To  see  a  pack  of  twenty  great 
muscular  hounds,  and  as  many  more  strong  men,  mounted 
on  fleet  horses,  at  break-neck  pace  chasing  a  little  animal 
across  the  country,  under  the  name  of  sport,  is  a  spectacle 
in  which  the  larger  animal  does  not,  it  seems  to  us,  appear 
to  the  best  advantage.  It  is  considered  fine  sport,  but  it  is 
hard  on  the  peasant  farmers,  whose  growing  crops  and 
ploughed  fields  must  suffer,  and  he  has  no  recourse.  He 
mutters  and  grumbles,  and  hides  his  resentment  as  well  as 
he  can,  he  repairs  as  far  as  possible  the  damage  done,  and 
toils  on  in  his  weary  work.  Thus  the  strong  override  the 
weak,. and  the  feeling  of  resentment  grows  stronger  and 
stronger  until  some  day  it  bursts  forth,  and  bloodshed  and 
revolution  result.  So  history  repeats  itself,  and  in  the  end 
the  heel  of  the  oppressor  becomes  one  of  the  means  that 
bring  liberty  to  the  downtrodden  of  earth. 

From  England  to  France  in  seventy  minutes,  by  the 
Channel  steamer,  is  the  usual  time  if  the  wind  and  waves  are 
propitious.  But  what  a  change  the  voyage  of  seventy  min- 
utes makes  in  one's  surroundings.  A  new  people,  and  a 
new  language,  which,  at  first,  seems  a  very  Babel  to  us. 
The  few  words  of  French  we  had  stored  away  for  this  occa- 
sion don't  seem  to  have  a  place  among  the  strange  sounds 
we  hear.  The  question,  ''Parka  voiis  FrancaisT'  (Do  you 
speak  French?)  coming  from  a  Frenchman's  lips,  does  not 
sound  at  all  as  it  is  written.  We  listen  and  wait  for  a  famil- 
iar sound,  a  word  or  phrase  that  we  understand,  and  then 
give  it  up. 

One  phrase  we  had  learned.     Showing  our  tickets  to  a 


30  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

conductor  we  remarked:  ^'^  Dcfc7ise  de  fiuncry  and  he  at  once 
took  us  to  a  compartment  set  apart  in  one  of  the  cars  for 
those  who  do  not  smoke.  On  our  railways  at  home  cars 
are  set  apart  for  smokers.  In  Europe  smoking  is  so  general 
that  compartments  are  provided  for  those  who  do  not 
smoke,  and  a  notice  to  the  effect  that  smoking  is  forbidden 
is  posted  on  the  door.  We  learned,  after  enduring  tobacco 
smoke  for  some  time,  to  look  for  the  compartment  where 
smokers  are  not  allowed  to  enter.  So  far  as  the  phrases 
"No  smoking"  and  "Smoking  forbidden"  are  concerned, 
we  became  quite  a  linguist,  and  we  give  them  in  the  differ- 
ent languages  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  may  have  occa- 
sion to  use  them.  Danish,  Ikkc  Rogcrc ;  Swedish,  Rokniiig 
Forbjiidcn ;  German,  Niclit  RaucJien;  Holland,  Ncit  Roaken ; 
Yxt.vic\\.,  Defense  de  Fiiiner ;  Italian,  E  proibito  di  fuinare. 

The  City  of  the  Napoleons,  Paris,  has  a  population  of 
two  and  a  quarter  million.  One  sees  the  impress  of  the 
Bonapartes  on  every  hand  in  this  modern  city  of  splendor 
and  sin.  You  are  reminded  again  and  again  of  the  First 
Consul  and  his  ambitious  nephew,  Napoleon  III.  The  fine 
streets  and  alleys,  the  grand  boulevards  and  open  squares, 
the  beautiful  gardens  and  magnificent  palaces,  the  splendid 
monuments  and  arches  of  triumph  are  what  these  rulers 
made  them.  Short  of  destruction,  come  what  may  to  the 
City  of  Paris,  the  name  of  Napoleon  will  live  within  her 
gates.  It  was  the  ambition  of  Napoleon  III.  to  make  of 
Paris  what  Nebuchadnezzar  succeeded  in  making  of  Baby- 
lon so  many  centuries  ago, — the  most  beautiful  and  magnif- 
icent city  in  all  the  world.  Such  was  his  success  that  the 
capital  of  France  easily  holds  the  palm  and  is  without  rival 
either  in  the  Old  or  New  World. 

Paris  is,  above  all  else,  a  city  of  pleasure  and  sin. 
Her  ever  thronging  and  surging  crowd  of  humanity  is  large- 


PARIS.  31 

ly  made  up  of  pleasure  seekers.  She  sits  as  the  mistress  of 
fashion,  and  the  mandates  of  her  one-time  man-milliner, 
Worth,  were  followed  all  over  the  civilized  world  with  a  zeal 
worth}'  a  better  cause.  Fashion  rules,  and  the  people  seem 
intent  on  having  a  good  time.  The  streets,  squares  and 
public  gardens  are  made  to  satisfy  the  desire  for  pleasure. 
They  are  studded  w  ith  costly  monuments  and  life-like  stat- 
uary. You  may  count  a  hundred  life-size  figures  in  marble, 
adorning  the  palace  of  Louvre.  The  garden  of  the  Tuiler- 
ies,  in  the  heart  of  Paris,  contains  seventy-four  acres.  It  is 
laid  out  in  the  most  beautiful  flower  gardens.  Its  prome- 
nades, the  finest  in  all  the  world,  are  lined  with  chestnut, 
linden  and  plane  trees.  It  is  adorned  with  numberless  ba- 
sins, flowing  fountains  and  statues.  Life-size,  nude  human 
figures,  cut  from  pure  white  marble,  abound  on  every  hand. 
An  eminent  author  says  there  is  enough  nude  statuary  ex- 
posed in  Paris  to  send,  in  a  few  years,  "  any  city  in  Europe 
into  the  damnation  of  the  foulest  social  hell."  In  Paris  sin 
has  no  covering.  It  is  open  and  brazen-fronted.  The  very 
customs  of  society  present  it  openly  to  the  world.  The 
drinking  saloon  has  no  screen  before  its  door,  or  shades  at 
its  windows.  Its  doors  are  thrown  wide  open,  and  much 
of  the  drinking  is  done  at  small  tables  under  awnings  on 
the  sidewalk.  At  some  of  the  large  drinking-saloons  you 
may  often  count  a  hundred  men  and  women,  seated  pro- 
miscuously at  tables,  drinking,  talking,  laughing,  and  hav- 
ing, as  they  call  it,  "  a  good  time."  Men  and  women  who 
are  looked  upon  as  moral  outcasts  by  all  good  people  are 
here  petted  and  flattered.  The  moral  statistics  show  a  state 
of  affairs  that  "  only  suggests  the  enormity  of  the  vice  and 
shame  covered  by  the  show  and  splendor  of  this  proud  City 
of  Napoleon  that  was." 

The  cause  of  this  social  pollution  is  not  hard  to  find. 


S2  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

The  teachings  of  Voltaire,  Rousseau  and  other  infidel  writ- 
ers had  a  powerful  influence  on  the  minds  of  the  French. 
The  influence  of  Christianity  was  weakened,  and  Reason 
was  enthroned  as  the  God  of  Paris.  One  of  the  oldest  and 
most  noted  churches  in  the  city,  Notre  Dame,  was  converted 
into  a  Temple  of  Reason,  and  within  this  temple  of  philos- 
ophy was  raised  (after  the  Greek  style,  adorned  with  busts 
of  Voltaire,  Rousseau  and  others),  a  statue  representing 
Reason  seated  on  a  throne,  receiving  in  state  the  worship 
of  her  votaries.  Prostitutes  clothed  in  white,  with  torches 
in  their  hands,  surrounded  the  inner  temple,  while  in  the 
side  chapels  sacrifices  were  offered,  accompanied  with  the 
wildest  revelry  and  the  most  disgraceful  orgies.  It  was 
the  teaching  of  the  infidels,  carried  to  its  logical  conclusions. 

The  final  result  of  this  teaching  may  be  read  in  the 
Reign  of  Terror,  at  the  close  of  the  last  century,  which  del- 
uged the  streets  of  Paris  a  hundred  times  with  blood.  The 
Commune,  guided  only  by  the  teachings  of  infidelity, 
sacked,  robbed  and  murdered  at  their  own  free  will,  and 
Paris  paid  the  penalty  of  a  city  that  forgets  God.  But  the 
spirit  of  unbelief  did  not  die  out  with  the  restoration  of  or- 
der, and  it  has  come  down  to  the  close  of  another  century. 
In  1 8/ I  the  Commune  again  ruled  for  a  brief  period,  again 
blood  flowed  like  water,  and  to-day  the  city  is  cursed  by  the 
influences  set  at  work  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago  by 
infidel  teachers.  Nominally,  the  great  mass  of  the  people 
are  Roman  Catholics;  practically,  there  is  but  little  of  the 
true  spirit  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  to  be  found 
in  this  beautiful,  pleasure-loving  city. 

Take  for  example  the  Christian  Sabbath.  There  is, 
strictly  speaking,  no  such  day  known  in  Paris.  The  first 
day  of  the  week  is  the  one,  more  than  all  others,  devoted  to 
business     and     pleasure.     Dance-houses,     drinking-saloons, 


PLAGUE    SrOT    OF    EUROPE.  33 

theaters,  and  all  like  places  of  public  amusement  are  open 
all  the  day.  In  flaminj^  handbills  and  in  the  newspapers 
horse  races  and  public  games  are  advertised  to  take  place 
on  that  day.  Business  houses  are  all  kept  open,  and  we 
were  told  that  Sunday  is  the  great  business  and  pleasure 
day  in  the  City  of  Paris,  and  that  more  business  is  transact- 
ed on  that  day  than  on  any  other  day  of  the  week.  From 
what  we  saw  of  the  great  crowds  of  people  on  the  streets, 
we  did  not  for  a  moment  doubt  the  truth  of  the  statement. 
In  this  respect  the  contrast  between  London  and  Paris  is 
very  great.  In  the  former  cit}-  tlie  Lord's  Day  is  strictly 
observed.  Stores,  shops,  restaurants  and  all  places  of  busi- 
ness are  closed,  and  the  streets  have  a  quiet  and  deserted 
look,  but  in  Paris  the  people  go  out  on  Sunday  for  business 
and  pleasure. 

Many  wealthy  Americans  send  their  sons  and  daughters 
to  Paris  to  finish  their  education.  Dr.  Hott,  who  looked  in- 
to the  social  condition  of  the  cit\',  sa}-s:  "  I  cannot  see  how 
Christian  Americans  can  send  their  daughters  here  to  be 
educated,  unless  they  first  lose  their  regard  for  common 
decency  and  purity  of  morals."  Socially,  it  is  the  plague 
spot  of  Europe,  and  some  day  it  will  again  pay  a  terrible 
price  for  its  sin  and  corruption,  the  fruit  of  infidelity.  His- 
tory shows  how  great  a  loss  humanity  suffers  when  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Bible  and  Christianity  is  weakened  or  lost, 
and  just  as  surely  as  infidelity  has  made  of  Paris  what  she 
is,  just  so  surely  will  the  teachings  of  Ingersoll  and  his  dis- 
ciples, if  they  prevail,  produce  similar  results  in  our  own 
beloved  America.  May  that  day  never  come  to  our  own 
prosperous  country! 

To  us,  one  of  the  most  discouraging  phases  of  Parisian 
life  is  the  almost  total  lack  of  homes.  The  hotel  and 
boarding-house  take  the  place  of  one  among  the  most  sa- 


34  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

cred,  and,  so  far  as  its  influence  goes,  one  of  the  best  insti- 
tutions in  the  world,  —  the  Christian  home.  In  Paris, 
homes,  as  we  know  them,  scarcely  exist.  Indeed,  the  term 
is  not  found  in  the  French  language,  neither  has  it  an 
equivalent  for  that  most  endearing  word,  home.  Feeling 
the  need  of  the  word  the  French  have  borrowed  it  from  the 
English.  To  those  who  regard  the  Christian  home  as  the 
most  sacred  place  in  this  world,  and  around  which  cluster 
so  many  happy  memories  that  are  never  forgotten,  it  seems 
almost  incredible  that  people  should  live  without  homes  in 
the  true  sense  of  the  word.  Doubtless  to  the  fact  that 
there  are  no  real  homes  in  Paris  may  be  attributed,  at  least 
to  some  extent,  the  low  condition  of  the  morality  of  the 
city.  Young  people  marry  and  instead  of  setting  up  house- 
keeping and  making  a  home  for  themselves,  they  set  up  an 
establishment  at  a  hotel  or  boarding-house,  and  the  idea  of 
a  home  is  entirely  lost.  The  evils  of  the  system  are  appar- 
ent to  any  one  who  will  take  time  to  think  upon  and  study 
the  question.  The  same  system  is  gaining  in  some  of  our 
American  cities,  and  it  will  surely  be  a  sad  day  for  us  when 
our  homes  are  given  up  for  the  uncertainties  of  hotel  and 
boarding-house  life. 


u 


CHAPTER  II. 


To  Scandmavia  —  Nordland  —  The  Coast  of  Noriuay  —  Bcatitiful 
Scenery  —  The  LoTe  of  the  A'oriuegian  for  his  Home  —  The  Lap- 
lander  —  Home  Life  of  the  People  —  Eating  Horse-flesh  —  The 
Sun  at  Midnight. 

"  And  then  up  rose  before  me, 
Upon  the  water's  edge, 
The  huge  and  haggard  shape 

Of  that  unknown  North  Cape, 
Whose  form  is  like  a  wedge." 

A  jouRXEY  from  the  City  of  Gilded  Sin  to  the  homes  of 
the  common  people  in  Scandinavia  affords  a  most  strikin<:^ 
contrast  and  gives  one  a  feeling  of  indescribable  relief.  It 
is  like  leaving  a  hothouse  with  its  damp,  heavy,  steamy  air 
and  going  out  into  God's  glorious  sunlight  and  pure  free  at- 
mosphere. The  journe)'  takes  us  on  our  way  to  the  "  Land 
of  the  Midnight  Sun."  It  means  a  run  bv  rail  through 
France,  Belgium  and  Germany  to  Kiel,  and  it  may  be  made 
in  twenty-four  hours  by  fast  train,  ScJincllzug,  as  the  Ger- 
mans say.  At  Kiel  a  steamer  awaits  your  arrival,  ready  to 
take  you  across  an  arm  of  the  East  Sea  to  Korsor,  and  you 
are  in  Denmark. 

Dane,  Swede,  and  Norwegian  have  those  sterling  quali- 
ties which  make  home  and  home  life  possible.  Thrice  we 
traveled  through  the  Northern  Peninsula  of  Europe,  and 
were  much  impressed  w  ith  the  honesty,  piety  and  morality 
of  the  people.  One  should  see  the  coast  with  its  mountains 
and  fjords,   from   Bergen  to  North   Cape,  as  we  saw  it   in 

1892,  and  then  travel  by  railway  and  private  conveyance  up 

(37) 


38  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

and  down  and  across  the  country,  as  we  did  on  this  and  pre- 
ceding tours,  in  order  to  become  acquainted  with  country 
and  people. 

Going  back  to  my  notebook  I  find  this  written:  I  was 
much  interested  in  noting  the  vegetation  as  we  traveled 
northward.  Wheat  grows  and  produces  a  fair  yield  up  to 
the  64th  degree  of  north  latitude.  Rye,  the  universal  crop 
in  Scandinavia,  with  oats  and  barley,  is  harvested  nearly  as 
far  north  as  the  70th  degree.  Great  forests  of  spruce  and 
pine  are  to  be  found  in  Norway;  and  the  wood  is  especially 
valuable,  owing  to  the  fact  that  in  this  high  latitude  timber 
is  of  slow  growth,  which  makes  it  stronger  and  firmer.  The 
rings  which  mark  its  annual  increase  in  size  are  very  close 
together.  The  fir,  the  spruce,  the  white  birch,  beech,  oak 
and  maple  also  abound  in  the  forests  of  the  North.  Plums 
abound  as  far  north  as  64  degrees,  and  apples  almost  up  to 
the  Arctic  circle,  while  cherries  are  found  even  beyond  the 
line  that  separates  the  temperate  from  the  frigid  zone. 
Gooseberries,  currants,  strawberries  and  raspberries  may  be 
found  north  of  Hammerfest,  at  North  Cape,  71°  10.' 

In  addition  to  the  warm  ocean  current  which  modifies 
the  climate  of  Scandinavia,  the  long  Arctic  summer  days 
are  helpful  in  ripening  grain  and  fruit.  In  midsummer  the 
sun  does  not  go  below  the  horizon  from  the  middle  of  May 
until  in  August,  and  the  continuous  sunshine  forces  vegeta- 
tion very  rapidly.  It  is  noticeable  that  the  leaves  on  the 
same  species  of  maple  are  mucli  larger  here  than  farther 
south. 

The  entire  coast  of  Norway,  from  Bergen  to  North 
Cape,  is  a  great  chain-like  archipelago  with  thousands  of 
mountain  islands.  The  sea  cuts  into  the  mainland,  and  the 
larger  islands  form  what  are  called,  in  Norwegian,  fjords,  or 
arms  of  the  sea.     Many  of  the  fjords  are  very  large,  that  of 


NORWEGIAN    FJORDS.  39 

Trondhjem  being  120  miles  long  and  of  considerable  width. 
Our  ship's  course  northward  carried  us  over  the  waters  of 
the  great  arms  of  the  sea,  among  the  thousand  islands  with 
their  great  mountain  walls  rising  abruptly  from  the  sea,  in 
height  from  one  to  three  thousand  feet.  The  scenery  pre- 
sented, as  we  coast  along  the  rockbound  shores  of  Norway, 
baffles  description.  In  grandeur  it  does  not  compare  with 
our  own  old  Rockies  or  with  the  Alps  of  Switzerland,  but  it 
has  a  rough,  rugged  beauty  which  is  all  its  own,  and  which 
we  have  never  seen  equaled.  If  the  great  valleys  of  the 
Rockies  could  be  filled  with  water  fifty  fathoms  deep  and 
then  opened  one  into  another  so  as  to  be  navigable,  we 
should  have  the  coast  of  Norway  reproduced,  only  on  a 
much  larger  and  grander  scale. 

We  are  having  most  delightful  weather  for  our  northern 
trip.  The  days  and  nights,  if  half  daylight  can  be  called 
night,  are  wonderfully  bright  and  clear.  One  of  the  beau- 
ties of  the  Arctic  region  is  the  clear  atmosphere.  The  cap- 
tain of  our  ship  tells  us  that  we  are  having  unusually  fine 
weather,  and  that  rain  is  quite  common  at  this  season  of  the 
year,  which  sadly  mars  the  interest  of  the  trip;  but,  except 
the  first  day,  we  ha\e  had  bright,  clear  weather  since  we  left 
Trondhjem.  In  the  pure  atmosphere  every  mountain  peak 
is  sharply  and  distinctly  cut,  and  the  lights  and  shadows 
formed  are  a  study  for  an  artist. 

The  fjords  at  many  places  have  the  appearance  of  great 
inland  lakes,  walled  in  on  all  sides  by  precipitous  mountains 
of  bleak  granite.  The  water  is  as  smooth  as  glass,  and  the 
ship  glides  steadily  over  its  unruffled  surface.  We  are  shut 
in  by  mountains  and  no  opening  appears  by  which  we  are 
to  go  forward  on  our  voyage.  At  last  a  break  in  the  moun- 
tain wall  is  seen,  the  ship,  obedient  to  her  rudder,  which  is 
in  the  hands  of  a  trusty  pilot,  glides  into  a  great  gorge  on- 


40  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

ly  wide  enough  to  allow  her  free  passage,  and  we  enter  an- 
other open  fjord;  and  this  ever-changing  scenery  continues 
for  a  thousand  miles. 

We  are  led  over  and  over  again  to  express  our  wonder 
and  admiration  at  the  wonderful  works  of  the  Lord,  and 
here  on  the  rocky  coast  of  Norway  we  have  sermon  after 
sermon  preached  to  us  that  we  shall  never  forget.  Upon 
these  great  arms  of  the  sea,  amid  the  granite  battlements, 
reared  by  the  hand  of  the  Almighty,  God  speaks  as  plainly 
to  the  soul  that  is  searching  for  him  as  he  does  in  his  re- 
vealed will,  and  the  interpretation  of  the  language  is,  "O 
Lord,  how  manifold  are  thy  works!  in  wisdom  hast  thou 
made  them  all:  the  earth  is  full  of  thy  riches." 

Wife  and  I  sit  together  hour  after  hour  on  the  deck  of 
the  "  Kong  Halfdan,"  drinking  in  the  grand,  rugged  beauty 
of  the  ever-changing  scenery.  The  days  are  delightfully 
clear  and  pleasant,  and  the  time  speeds  away  unnoticed. 
We  are  lost  in  admiration,  and  before  we  are  aware  of  it  ev- 
ening comes,  or,  rather,  what  would  be  evening  if  we  were 
at  home.  Here  in  this  wonderland  we  have  daylight  all  the 
time.  Even  now  at  midnight  we  have  a  bright  twilight,  for 
the  sun  has  sunk  only  a  few  diameters  below  the  horizon, 
and  we  have  not  yet  crossed  the  Arctic  circle.  As  we  go 
farther  north  we  shall  have  less  and  less  of  night  until  we 
reach  a  point  where,  for  a  time  at  least,  it  may  be  said, 
"  And  there  shall  be  no  more  night  there." 

As  I  sit  alone  in  the  large  stateroom  of  our  steamer 
and  write  these  lines,  the  hands  on  the  dial  of  the  clock  in- 
dicate that  the  hour  of  midnight  draws  near,  and  I  go  on 
deck.  The  scene  is  most  wondrous  for  its  beauty  and 
grandeur,  and  it  will  not,  while  life  and  reason  last,  fade 
from  our  memory.  The  night  is  brilliantly  clear  and 
bright.     To  the  north  not  a  single  star  is  to  be  seen,  and  the 


fc> 


THE    NORTHERN    LIGHTS.  4I 

words  of  the  sage  of  Mesopotamia,  set  down  in  the  Bible, 
are  shown  to  be  literally  true:  "  He  stretcheth  out  the  north 
over  the  empty  place,  and  hangeth  the  earth  upon  nothing." 
Our  course  lies  centrally  through  a  great  arm  of  the  sea, 
apparently  surrounded  by  mountains  that  stand  out  in  clear 
and  bold  relief  in  the  transparent  atmosphere.  In  the 
southeast  the  full  moon,  like  a  great  globe  of  pale  light, 
hangs  just  above  the  rim  of  the  inland  lake  and  casts  a  sil- 
very sheen  across  its  calm  waters.  It  seems  to  be  many 
times  nearer  the  earth  than  we  ever  saw  it  before,  but  it  is 
shorn  of  much  of  its  brilliancy  by  the  twilight  when  the 
midnight  sun  has  sunk  below  the  glowing  horizon,  and  by 
the  wonderful  gleams  of  the  Northern  lights  as  they  send 
their  white  light  far  up  into  the  northern  heavens.  The 
commingling  of  the  different  shades  of  light,  as  they  fall 
upon  sea  and  mountain,  produces  an  effect  so  wonderful 
in  its  rich  beauty  that  it  cannot  be  set  down  on  paper. 
The  pen  of  a  Taylor  or  the  pencil  of  a  Raphael  could  never 
equal  the  task  of  describing  this  wonderful  scene.  We  can 
only  behold  and  wonder.  It  is  well  worth  a  trip  to  the 
Northern  climes  to  see  the  grandeur  of  such  a  night,  and  it 
is  the  experience  of  a  lifetime  to  behold  a  sight  like  this, 
which  we  have  but  faintly  described. 

How  the  Almighty  Creator  has  beautified  the  universe, 
and  how  wonderful  are  all  his  works!  The  soul  of  the 
sweet  singer  of  Israel  must  have  been  stirred  to  its  depths 
by  a  scene  like  this  when  he  exclaimed,  "  The  heavens  de- 
clare the  glory  of  God;  and  the  firmament  showeth  his 
handiwork."  What  a  time  for  meditation  in  the  presence  of 
these  earthly  scenes,  so  grand  and  so  beautiful,  and  how  the 
soul  goes  out  to  God  and  bows  in  worship  to  him  as  it 
stands  in  the  presence  chamber  of  its  Creator! 

In  these  high  altitudes  the  tops  of  the  mountains  are 


42  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

covered  with  snow.  The  snow  comes  down  to  the  line  of 
green  grass  where  you  may  pluck  bright  Arctic  flowers  with 
one  hand  and  make  snowballs  with  the  other.  North  of  69 
degrees  I  gathered  a  bouquet  of  beautiful  wild  flowers  of  a 
dozen  different  varieties,  some  of  which  were  sent  to  friends 
at  home.  Then  there  are  the  great  glaciers  of  everlasting 
ice  and  snow  slowly  but  surely  creeping  down  the  valleys. 
Our  photogravure  represents  the  glacier  of  Svartisen,  which 
is  thirty-five  miles  in  length  and  ten  miles  in  width. 

A  narrow  coast  line  and  little  valleys  opening  into  the 
hills  and  mountains  afford  a  few  acres  of  arable  land, 
where  the  hardy  Norwegian  farmer  has  made  himself  a 
comfortable  home.  He  owns  the  land  and  pays  no  rent  or 
interest  on  mortgages.  His  field  of  rye  yields  all  he  needs 
for  bread.  He  has  just  finished  harvesting,  and  the  sheaves 
are  placed  on  upright  poles  to  facilitate  drying.  A  small 
patch  of  potatoes  and  a  few  acres  of  grass  complete  his 
farming.  This  he  supplements  by  fishing,  and  altogether 
he  gets  on  quite  well.  Our  glass  enables  us  to  see  him  at 
work  in  his  rocky  field,  cutting,  drying  and  gathering  in  his 
hay.  The  grass,  after  cutting,  is  placed  on  horizontal  poles 
a  few  feet  above  the  ground,  so  that  it  dries  more  readily. 
Far  up  the  mountain-side  you  may  see  him  as  he  searches 
out  every  tuft  of  grass  and  cuts  it  for  his  horse  and  cows, 
for  the  long  dark  winter  night  is  coming,  and  they  must 
have  food.  A  strong  wire  is  stretched  from  his  barn  to  a 
tree  on  the  mountain  side;  when  the  grass  is  dried  he  ties  it 
into  bundles,  fastens  the  bundles  to  the  wire  and  sends 
them  by  his  telegraph  line  directly  to  his  haymow,  thus 
saving  himself  many  a  weary  step.  His  farm  has  the  ap- 
pearance of  being  well  attended  to,  and  his  mountain  home 
has  a  look  of  comfort  and  prosperity  that  is  pleasant  to  see. 


THAT    IS    MV    HOME.  45 

Here  he  lives  in  inodcratc  comfort,  works  hard,  has  but  few 
wants,  and  is  happ\-. 

These  people  have  a  strong  love  for  their  country  and 
homes.  We  are  informed  that  if  a  man  sells  his  home  he 
may  redeem  it  again  after  five  years,  or  an}'  one  of  his  sons 
may  have  the  same  privilege.  In  either  case  the  price  at 
which  it  was  sold  is  to  be  paid  with  the  exact  cost  of  im- 
provements added.  After  five  years  the  sale  becomes  ab- 
solute. Very  often  farms  that  have  been  sold  are  redeemed 
as  pro\idcd  by  law. 

On  our  way  north  we  met  an  intelligent  Norwegian 
who  had  spent  some  time  in  America,  and  who  spoke  Eng- 
lish quite  fluently.  He  had  been  in  Chicago  and  had  trav- 
eled o\'er  our  great  western  prairies,  and  then  had  returned 
again  to  old  Norway.  In  answer  to  our  question,  "  Did  you 
not  like  America?"  he  replied,  "Oh  }'es,  but  my  home  here 
much  better."  As  our  steamer  t-ounded  a  sharp  curve,  we 
entered  a  beautiful  little  bay,  and  there  close  up  to  the 
mountain  side  stood  a  few  well-built  houses,  surrounded  by 
probably  a  hundred  acres  of  tillable  ground.  It  was  a 
beautiful  little  spot.  "That,"  said  our  friend  with  a  gleam 
of  pride  in  his  eye,  ''  tliat  is  Jiiy  home.''  After  all,  there  is  no 
place  in  this  world  like  home,  and  it  requires  only  loving 
companionship  and  a  few  of  the  comforts  of  this  life,  with 
godliness  and  contentment,  to  make  a  home  anywhere. 
Somehow,  as  we  watched  our  friend  of  a  few  hours  go 
down  into  the  little  boat  and  row  ashore,  where  loving 
hearts  were  waiting  to  welcome  him,  our  thoughts  went  out 
to  our  own  western  home,  six  thousand  miles  away,  and  we 
wished  it  were  our  own  home  coming. 

Many  of  these  hardy  sons  of  the  North  go  to  America, 
and  they  make  excellent  citizens,  but  they  never  fail  to  re- 
visit the  old  home  if  they  are  able  to  do  so.     The  love  they 


46  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

have  for  their  country  is  set  forth   in  the   following   simple 
lines  which  we  find  in  our  Norwegian  grammar: 

"Ja  !  herligt  er  viit  Fodeland 
Den  Gamle  Klippefaste  Norge 
Med  Sonimerdal  og  I  'ifttcrborge, 
Der  Evi'g  tfodser  Tide?is  Tand 
0?>i  Kiodeii  rokkes  end,  dets  Fjelde 
Skall  St07-7ne7i  dog  ej  kunnefaelde." 

A  literal  translation  reads  as  follows: 

"  Yes!  glorious  is  my  native  land,  the  ancient  cliff-bound  Norway, 
with  summer  valley  and  winter  fastness,  which  ever  defies  the  tooth  of 
time.  Even  if  the  globe  be  shaken,  the  storm  shall  be  unable  to  over- 
throw its  mountains." 

"Min  Norsk e  Vinter  cr  saa  vakker  : 
De  hvide  Snebcdaeckte  Bakker 
Og  gronne  Gran  incd  Piidret  Haar 
Og  irofast  Is  paa  dybe  Vande 
Og  Engledragt paa  nog7ie  Strande 
Jeg  bytter  ncppe  tiiod  en  Vaar." 

"My  Norwegian  winter  is  so  beautiful:  the  snow-clad  hills,  and 
green  pines  with  powdered  hair,  and  steadfast  ice  on  deep  lakes,  and 
angel  garb  on  barren  shores,  I  would  hardly  exchange  for  spring." 

The  natural  scenery  in  these  far  northern  regions  ex- 
cites the  liveliest  interest  by  its  ever-changing  variety. 
The  total  absence  of  night  at  this  season  of  the  year,  the  pe- 
culiar light  of  the  moon,  and  the  display  of  the  Northern 
lights,  all  go  to  make  up  a  picture  that  can  be  seen  only  in 
this  part  of  the  world.  Then,  too,  as  one  writer*  has  said: 
The  weather,  the  winds,  and  the  fogs,  the  play  of  light  and 
shade,  the  purity  of  the  atmosphere  are  all  unlike  corre- 
sponding phenomena  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  The  ani- 
mal world  is  of  extraordinary  richness.  The  sea  teems  with 
cod,  herring,  skate  and  other  fish.  Whales  are  frequently 
seen  spouting  columns  of  water  into  the  air,  or  rising  to  the 


*Baedeker. 


LAi'i'  HUTS.  49 

surface  in  unwieldy  gambols.  Swarms  of  cider  duck  s\\  im 
near  e\er}'  island,  and  the  air  is  full  of  sea  gulls.  Often  one 
may  see  the  industrious  sea  gull  robbed  of  its  prey  by  the 
skua,  which,  unable  to  fish  for  itself,  compels  the  gull  to 
drop  its  booty,  and  with  unerring  dexterity  catches  it  be- 
fore it  reaches  the  water.  Often  the  water  is  ruffled  by 
shoals  of  herring  pursued  by  the  seal,  to  escape  from  which 
they  dart  into  the  nets  spread  for  them,  or  even  spring 
ashore. 

In  these  .\rctic  waters  w  hales  aboimd  and  affortl  a  rich 
har\est  of  oil  for  the  hardv  seamen  of  the  North.  A  large 
oil  factor)-  was  located  in  one  of  the  fjords  we  entered. 
Sixteen  great  whales,  captured  out  at  sea,  had  been  towed 
into  the  little  harbor,  where  in  turn  the  huge  carcasses  were 
to  be  cut  u{)  and  turned  into  oil.  One  great  monster  had 
been  dragged  ashore,  as  is  shown  in  our  engraving. 

We  must  not  pass  by  the  Lapps,  who  now  are  to  be 
found  onh'  in  the  far-away  frozen  North.  These  interesting 
people  somewhat  resemble  the  American  Indian  in  their 
habits.  We  found  their  huts  built  of  sticks  and  stones,  cov- 
ered with  birch  bark  and  sod.  The}'  are  dome-shaped  w  ith 
a  hole  in  the  top  to  let  out  the  smoke  from  the  fire  w  hich  is 
kept  burning  in  the  center,  o\er  which  a  pot  is  suspended. 
Fine  brush  cut  from  birch  trees  are  laid  on  the  ground  all 
around  the  inside  of  the  hut,  and  on  these  are  laid  the  rein- 
deer skins  which  serve  as  beds  at  night  and  a  sitting-place 
in  daytime.  The  huts  are  filthy  and  forbidding  in  their  ap- 
pearance, but  not  more  so  than  the  Lapps  themselves. 
Their  dress  from  head  to  foot  is  made  of  the  reindeer  skin 
tanned  with  the  hair  on,  and  as  this  kind  of  clothing  wears  a 
long  time  and  is  never  washed,  our  readers  may  well  imag- 
ine that  cleanliness  is  not  a  virtue  among  these  people. 

Men  and  women  dress  so   ncarh-   alike  that,   so   far  as 


50  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

their  clothing  is  concerned,  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  be- 
tween them.  The  only  difference  observable  to  us  was  that 
the  women  are  less  in  stature  and  their  hair  is  longer  and 
more  matted  and  tangled  than  that  of  the  men.  They  sur- 
rounded us  as  soon  as  we  entered  their  camp  and  it  was 
W'Onderful  how  many  men,  women,  children  and  dogs  came 
out  of  a  single  hut.  The  dog  is  a  family  companion  and  oc- 
cupies his  place  in  the  wigwam.  They  had  many  articles  of 
their  own  manufacture  which  they  offered  to  sell  us. 
Spoons  made  of  reindeer  horn,  shoes  made  of  the  skin  of 
the  same  animal,  and  many  other  things  were  pressed  upon 
our  notice.  We  were  strongly  urged  to  make  purchases, 
and  judging  from  the  persistent  efforts  made  for  this  pur- 
pose we  concluded  that  the  Lapps  would,  vmder  favorable 
circumstances,  make  very  good  shopkeepers  and  salesmen. 

The  reindeer  is  the  Lapps'  chief  source  of  wealth.  In 
the  summer  its  milk  supplies  them  with  wholesome  and 
nutritious  food;  when  winter  approaches  large  numbers  are 
killed,  the  flesh  is  dried  and  smoked,  to  be  eaten  during  the 
dark  winter  months.  When  the  ground  is  covered  with 
snow  the  reindeer  is  harnessed  to  the  boat-like  sledge  and 
carries  the  Lapp  over  the  crusted  snow  with  wonderful  ra- 
pidity. From  its  skin  clothing  is  made;  the  sinews  furnish 
thread  and  fishing  lines  of  great  strength,  and  its  horns  are 
made  into  spoons,  knife  handles,  sheaths,  and  various  do- 
mestic utensils.  The  flesh  of  the  reindeer,  of  which  we  ate 
frequently  on  our  trip,  is  very  palatable,  and  the  tongue  is 
considered  a  luxury. 

The  Lapps  belong  to  the  yellow  race;  they  are  small  of 
stature,  the  men  being  less  than  five  feet,  and  the  women 
about  four,  or  less.  The  largest  men  we  saw  among  them 
would  not  weigh  over  one  hundred  pounds.  They  have 
high  cheek  bones,  low  foreheads,  the  top  of  the  head  some- 


THE    REINDEER.  5  I 

what  flattened,  and  light,  yellow  hair.  Their  bones  are 
small,  and  they  have  but  little  muscle.  We  saw  five  of 
them  tugging  at  the  carcass  of  a  reindeer  that  would  have 
weighed  perhaps  125  pounds,  and  they  seemed  to  have 
about  all  they  could  do  to  carry  it.  The  race  is  becoming 
extinct;  there  are  now  only  about  30,000  of  them  left. 
Once  they  dominated  the  whole  of  Scandinavia,  but,  like 
the  American  Indians,  were  compelled  to  give  way  before 
the  strong  tide  of  civilization. 

Efforts  are  made  to  civilize  them,  and  missionaries 
from  the  State  church  of  Norway  are  sent  among  them,  but 
as  they  are  constantly  moving  from  place  to  place  it  is  a 
very  difficult  matter  to  bring  them  under  the  influence  of 
civilization.  Further  than  this,  they  have  learned  the  use 
of  tobacco  and  intoxicants  from  our  higher  civilization. 
They  all  use  tobacco,  and  many  of  them  are  addicted  to 
drunkenness.  Outside  of  this,  they  are  a  harmless,  honest, 
inoffensive  and  interesting  people. 

The  camp  of  Lapps  at  Tromso  own,  it  is  said,  between 
four  and  five  thousand  head  of  reindeer,  valued  at  four  dol- 
lars each.  They  drive  them  from  place  to  place  for  pas- 
ture, and  in  this  respect  are  something  like  the  descendants 
of  Ishmael  in  Palestine.  During  the  summer  months  the 
pasture  is  plentiful  in  the  valleys,  and  the  animals  soon  be- 
come plump  and  fat  on  the  nutritious  grass.  In  the  winter 
they  live  on  the  moss  that  covers  the  rocks,  and  w  ith  their 
sharp  hoofs  they  dig  it  up  from  under  the  deep  snow  with 
wonderful  dexterity.  The  reindeer  is  milked  twice  a  week, 
and  gives  an  abundant  supply  of  strong,  rich  milk. 

The  home  life  of  the  farmer  and  laborer  of  any  country 
is  an  interesting  and  instructive  study,  and  this  is  especially 
true  of  northern  Europe.  Since  the  da}'s  of  Taylor's  in- 
conii)arable  books  of  travel,  Europe  has  been  written  about 


5^ 


GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 


over  and  over,  again  antl  ai^ain,  and  yet  but  little  has  been 
said  about  the  home  life  of  the  countr}'  people,  the  bone 
and  sinew  of  the  civilized  world.  Even  Taylor  fails  to  give 
more  than  a  mere  glimpse  of  the  inner  life  of  the  masses, 
and  we  may  search  in  vain  for  books  that  tell  us  how  the 
country  people  \Wc.     The  reason  for  this  is  obvious.     As  a 


KOSKILDE,    DENMARK. 


rule  travelers  pursue  the  beaten  track;  they  go  from  cit}-  to 
city,  live  in  hotels,  and  see  the  country  only  from  the  car 
window.  Palaces,  picture  galleries,  works  of  art,  great 
buildings,  old  ruins  and  places  of  historic  interest,  royalty, 
notable  men  and  women,  politics  and  kindred  topics  form 
the  staples  from  which  most  writers  draw  their  materials. 


DANISH     HUME    LIFE. 


53 


li'  they  i^o  into  the  countr\'  at  all,  they  arc  nu-t  with  the  nat- 
ural reserve  which  total  strangers  receive  the  world  over, 
and  fail  to  see  the  people  at  their  best.  They  cannot  give 
the  home  life  of  the  country,  because  they  do  not  see  it. 
In  this  respect  I  enjoyed  some  advantages  not  accorded  to 
others.  The  members  of  our  mission  churches  live  for  the 
most    part    in    the   country.     .Speaking   publich-   in    villages 


M.ALMO,    SWEDEN. 


and  farmhouses  I  came  into  close  contact  w  ith  the  people. 
We  were  cordially  invited  into  their  homes,  and  thc\'  gave 
us  such  a  warm  welcome  and  recei\ed  us  with  such  a  kindly 
spirit,  that  we  met  and  [)arted  not  as  strangers,  but  as 
u-arm-hearted  friends;  and  this  was  not  only  among  our 
ou  n  people,  for  this  kind  reception  was  quite  general. 


54  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

The  Danish  people  have  a  rough  exterior,  and  unless 
one  learns  to  know  them  well  they  are  apt  to  appear  harsh 
and  repulsive.  The  rough,  guttural  sounds  in  their  lan- 
guage add  to  the  first  impression.  Such  words  as  Ska/l, 
Ikke,  Pige,  Sciskab,  grate  harshly  on  the  ear.  But  beneath 
the  rough  exterior  I  found  warm,  sympathetic,  loving 
hearts,  and  was  led  to  conclude  that  the  worst  side  of  the 
Dane  is  the  outside.  The  Swedes,  on  the  other  hand,  are 
more  cultured  and  refined,  their  language  is  smoother  and 
much  more  musical  than  the  Danish.  As  a  rule  they  are 
cheerful  and  happy  and  make  a  favorable  impression  on  the 
stranger.  The)-  are  exceedingly  font!  of  music  and  sing 
well.  Sweden  has  produced  some  notable  singers,  promi- 
nent among  them  Jenny  Lind,  "the  Swedish  Nightingale," 
as  she  was  appropriately  called.  The  Swedes  are,  as  a  rule, 
open-hearted,  kind  and  hospitable,  and  they  succeed  in 
making  one  feel  very  much  at  home  among  them. 

In  Scandinavia  the  farmhouses  are  generally  but  one 
story  high,  and  often  the  living  apartments  of  the  family 
and  the  stables  for  the  horses  and  cattle  are  found  under 
the  same  straw  roof.  The  stories  are  low,  being  only  from 
six  to  eight  feet  high.  The  doors  are  not  high  enough  to 
allow  a  man  above  the  medium  height  to  enter  without 
stooping.  On  several  occasions  I  was  made  sensible  of  this 
fact,  and  learned  by  experience  to  take  the  advice  of  the 
philosopher  who  said:  "If  you  learn  to  stoop  as  you  go 
through  the  world,  you  will  escape  many  hard  knocks." 
On  some  of  the  large  farms  the  stables  are  built  at  right 
angles  with  the  house,  forming  an  open  square.  At  other 
places  the  buildings  form  a  square  with  a  driveway  between 
stables  and  farmhouse.  Others,  having  caught  the  spirit  of 
modern  improvement,   build   fine,  two-story  farmhouses  in 


SCANDINAVIAN    FARMHOUSES. 


55 


the  midst  of  beautiful  grounds,  and  the  barns  and  stables 
are  at  some  distance  from  the  house. 

The  interior  of  many  of  the  houses  is  devoid  of  com- 
fort. Cooking  stoves  are  rarely  found  among  the  poorer 
class  of  farmers.  The  kitchen,  paved  with  brick  or  stone, 
and  in  some  cases  w  ith  a  door  opening  directly  into  the  sta- 


A  FAR.M  HOUSE. 


ble  where  the  cows  are  kept,  is  supplied  with  a  large,  open 
fireplace,  with  a  raised  hearth  two  feet  higher  than  the 
floor.  Here  the  fire  is  built,  here  pots,  kettles  and  spiders 
are  set,  and  here  the  cooking  is  done.  The  first  meal  of  the 
day  is  coffee  and  black  bread,  served,  as  we  found  at  one 
place  in  north  Denmark,  before  we  were  out  of  bed.     The 


56  GIRDLIxNG    THE    GLOBE. 

coffee  and  bread  were  broui;ht  to  us  at  a  very  earl\-  hour, 
and  we  were  in\'ited  to  sit  up  in  bed  and  eat  and  drink. 
Wife  said:  "I  can  never  drink  coffee  in  this  place;  "but  a 
desire  to  accept  the  hospitality  so  generously  offered  over- 
came her  scruples,  and  we  partook  of  the  proffered  refresh- 
ments. Breakfast  follows,  and  the  kind  of  food  depends 
upon  the  pocketbook  of  }'our  entertainer.  Among  the 
poor,  black  bread  with  lard  is  the  staple  article  of  food. 
Butter  is  a  luxury  almost  unknown  to  them,  and  often  they 
must  be  content  to  eat  their  bread  without  lard. 

Black  bread,  made  from  unbolted  rye  flour,  about  as 
dark  in  color  as  the  old-fashioned  gingerbread  made  with 
dark  molasses,  which  we  relished  so  much  in  our  boyhood 
da\'s,  is  found  on  every  table.  Sour  leaven  is  used,  and 
the  bread  is  just  sour  enough  to  make  it  very  unpala- 
table to  those  who  are  used  to  eating  sweet  bread.  When 
it  can  be  found  sweet  and  fresh  it  is  not  unpleasant  to  the 
taste.  Bolted  rye  flour  is  also  used  by  those  who  can  af- 
ford it,  and  it  makes  an  excellent  quality  of  dark  bread 
which  is  healthful  and  very  palatable. 

Horse  meat  is  used  quite  extensively,  and  in  all  the 
larger  towns  and  cities  shops  are  licensed  for  the  sale  of 
Hcsiekiod,  horse  flesh.  It  is  much  cheaper  than  beef  or 
pork  and  is  often  found  on  the  tables  of  well-to-do  people. 
Since  the  removal  of  the  prohibition  against  American  pork, 
meat  \\  ill  doubtless  be  cheaper  here. 

The  following  incident  may  illustrate  the  truth  of  the 
old  proverb,  "Where  ignorance  is  bliss,  'tis  folly  to  be 
wise."  We  were  very  kindl}-  and  hospitabh-  entertained  in 
the  home  of  a  prosperous  and  well-to-do  merchant.  The 
good  wife  had  prepared  coffee  for  us.  The' neat  little  table, 
with  snowy  white  lintMi  and  delicate  china,  white  bread,  but- 
ter, cheese  and  dried  meat  presented  a  very  tempting  ap- 


7. 


w 

X 


HORSE    MEAT.  59 

pearance  to  the  hungry  travelers.  The  dried  meat,  which 
looked  very  much  like  the  home-made  dried  beef  of  such 
excellent  quality,  which  one  finds  in  Pennsylvania  and 
Maryland,  was  ver)-  tempting  to  the  appetite.  I  ate  some 
of  it,  and  it  tasted  very  good.  I  ate  more,  and  gave  it  a 
favorable  recommendation  to  my  wife,  who  also  ate  and 
pronounced  it  good.  Our  Bro.  Olssen,  who  sat  by  our  side, 
said:  "You  seem  to  be  very  fond  of  horse  meat."  Our 
readers  may  imagine  the  result;  my  entire  internal  anatomy 
rebelled,  and  it  was  only  by  the  most  persistent  effort  that  I 
remained  at  the  table  and  completed  the  meal  with  due 
dignity  and  propriety.  1  have  no  appetite  for  horse  meat, 
but  it  did  taste  good. 

Woman  works  indoors  and  out,  and  her  lot  is  a  hard 
one.  Hard  labor  of  all  kinds  is  imposed  upon  her.  She 
works  in  the  field,  mowing,  making  hay,  binding  grain, 
hauling  and  spreading  the  contents  of  the  barnyard  on  the 
land;  in  fact  she  does  about  all  kinds  of  farm  work.  She 
must  often  be  the  housekeeper,  the  mother  of  the  family 
and  the  field  laborer.  As  a  result,  she  cannot  pay  much  at- 
tention to  her  household  duties,  and,  from  our  standpoint, 
the  home  is  often  of  necessity  sadly  neglected. 

In  parts  of  northern  Europe,  especiall}-  in  Germany,  I 
have  seen  women  and  dogs  hitched  together  to  heavily 
loaded  hand  wagons  drawing  them  through  the  streets. 
Dogs  are  often  used  as  draught  animals.  The  accompany- 
ing picture  shows  a  milkman  with  dogs  hitched  to  his  cart. 

Men,  women  and  children  w'ear  the  universal  wooden 
shoe,  with  heavy  woolen  stockings.  When  they  go  into  the 
house  the  shoes  are  taken  off,  and  it  is  not  an  unusual  thing 
to  see  a  large  number  of  wooden  shoes  of  various  sizes  at 
the  door  as  you  enter  the  farmhouse.  The  wooden  shoe- 
maker flourishes  in   every  village.     For  men's  shoes  he  gets 


60  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

one  and  one-half  kroners,  or  forty  cents  a  pair,  and  for 
smaller  ones  in  proportion.  His  tools  consist  of  several 
auger-like  gouges  with  which  he  makes  the  inner  shape  of 
the  foot.  A  common  drawing-knife  and  a  "  shaving-horse  " 
complete  the  outfit,  and  the  shoemaker  prides  himself  up- 
on the  neat  shape  he  can  give  the  foot-wear  he  turns  out. 
We  tried  our  hand  at  the  work,  but  found  that  even  mak- 
iner  wooden  shoes  is  a  trade  that  must  be  learned. 

Wages  are  very  low.  At  Hjordum  we  met  a  strong, 
healthy-looking  girl  of  sixteen  who  told  us  that  she  was  em- 
ployed on  a  farm  by  the  )ear,  the  owner  of  which  was  a 
fisherman.  Her  work  was  indoors  and  out,  as  her  services 
were  needed.  Cleaning  fish,  helping  with  the  nets  and 
lines,  working  on  the  farm,  she  labored  from  twelve  to  fif- 
teen hours  a  day,  Sunday  included,  and  she  received  only 
thirty  kroners,  $8.10  per  year  for  her  hard  work.  The  high- 
est wages  paid  to  girls  on  the  farms  is  ninety  kroners,  S24.30 
per  year.  We  interviewed  laboring  men  and  women  in  the 
fields  and  found  that  they  were  working  at  starvation  wages. 
At  one  place  we  talked  with  a  man  who  was  cutting  rye. 
After  trying  his  scythe,  and  proving  to  our  satisfaction  that 
the  work  was  not  easy,  we  asked  him  what  wages  he  re- 
ceived, and  could  scarcely  believe  him  when  he  said  fifty 
ore,  thirteen  and  one-half  cents  per  day.  He  explained  that 
his  health  was  poor,  and  not  being  strong  he  could  not  get 
hieher  waees.  The  women  who  bound  the  grain  after  him 
received  the  same  wages.  The  wages  for  farm  laborers 
vary  in  different  localities;  but  one  kroner,  twenty-seven 
cents  a  day,  is  considered  fair  wages.  We  notice  advertise- 
ments in  the  newspapers  in  which  servant  girls  offer  to 
work  for  sixt}-  kroners  per  year,  or  about  thirty-one  cents  a 
week. 

In  conversation  with  some  of  the  girls  thcv  were  told 


WAGES.  6 1 

of  two  dollars  a  week  in  America,  and  it  seemed  like  a  fairy 
tale  to  them.  When  I  told  them  that  as  a  rule,  our  women 
did  not  work  in  the  fields,  and  in  the  West  did  not  milk  or 
blacken  boots,  one  old  woman  in  the  company  with  much 
apparent  surprise  said:  "Well,  what  do  your  women  do? 
They  must  be  lazy."  I  was  not  willing  to  admit  the  im- 
peachment, and  explained  that  our  women  paid  much  more 
attention  to  housekeeping  and  indoor  work  than  was  done 
in  Denmark.  It  might  have  been  added  that  some  of  the 
work,  such  as  crocheting  and  fancy  needlework  did  not 
seem  to  have  much  practical  value,  but  I  simply  made  a 
mental  note  of  the  fact.  I  also  noted  the  fact  that  if  some 
of  our  people  at  home,  who  are  dissatisfied  with  their  lot, 
could  live  here  a  while  they  would  learn  some  lessons  in 
economy  that  would  be  helpful  to  them,  and  would  be  glad 
to  go  back  again  to  America,  where  the  conditions  are  so 
much  more  favorable  for  the  laboring  classes  than  they  are 
here. 

The  custom  of  every  one  helping  himself  at  the  table 
prevails  in  Sweden.  At  the  eating  houses  a  large  table  is 
found  in  the  center  of  the  room  on  which  are  placed  soup, 
meats,  vegetables,  bread,  butter,  cheese,  etc.,  etc.  Plates, 
knives,  forks  and  spoons  are  placed  at  one  end  of  the  table. 
Those  who  dine  take  a  plate,  knife  and  fork,  then  march 
around  the  table,  taking  what  they  want,  and  then  retire  to 
small  tables  and  eat.  In  this  way  soup,  fish,  meats  and 
dessert  are  served,  a  clean  plate  being  taken  with  each 
course.  It  looked  singular  enough  to  us  to  see  twenty  or 
thirty  men  and  women  marching  around  the  great  center 
table,  helping  themselves  to  the  tempting  viands.  The 
same  custom  prevails  in  the  private  family. 

Whether  the  Danes,  or  Dans,  as  the  old  name  runs, 
and  which   is  )et  to  be  found  in  old   manuscripts  and  in- 


62  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

scriptions,  are,  as  some  writers  seem  to  think,  the  descend- 
ants of  the  lost  tribe  of  Dan,  we  shall  not  pretend  to  say, 
but  we  were  struck  by  the  similarity  of  some  things  we 
saw  here  with  those  found  in  Palestine.  The  one-handled 
plow  is  used  here  quite  extensively,  and  the  old-fashioned 
hand-mill,  so  common  in  Palestine,  has  been  so  recently  in 
use  here  that  we  saw  many  discarded  millstones.  The 
women  did  much  of  the  grinding  here  not  many  years  ago. 
A  sister  told  me  that  when  she  was  young  she  often  helped 
to  grind  at  the  mill,  and  that  before  her  conversion,  remem- 
bering Christ's  words,  "  Two  women  shall  be  grinding  at  the 
mill,  one  shall  be  taken  and  the  other  left,"  she  always 
dreaded  to  assist  at  the  grinding. 

The  windmill  and  in  many  places  the  water  mill  have 
superseded  the  old  hand-mills.  The  former,  with  its  great 
arms  spread  out  to  catch  the  wind,  is  to  be  seen  every- 
where. The  arrangement  for  turning  the  wheel  when  the 
wind  changes  is  quite  in  keeping  with  the  primitive  charac- 
ter of  the  country.  The  mill  is  built  on  a  central  pivot  and 
a  large,  bent  arm  reaches  to  the  ground.  When  the  wind 
changes,  as  it  does  quite  frequently,  the  miller,  by  the  use 
of  a  chain,  a  windlass  and  a  long  lever,  turns  the  entire 
mill  around.  Some  of  the  modern  mills  are  arranged  so 
that  only  the  top  is  turned. 

In  some  parts  of  Sweden  the  ground  is  covered  with 
large  boulders.  The  farmer  ploughs  up  the  soil  among  the 
boulders,  pulverizes  it  and  then  sows  the  rye.  In  sowing, 
some  of  the  grain  falls  upon  the  rocks,  but  it  is  not  left 
there  for  the  fowls  of  the  air.  We  noticed  women  with 
brooms,  made  of  brush,  sweeping  the  tops  of  the  stones, 
and  upon  inquiry  learned  that  they  were  sweeping  the  seed 
and  little  soil  off  the  rocks  so  that  it  might  not  be  wasted. 
More  than  two-thirds  of  the  surface  of  some  of  the  fields 


THE    WINDMILL.  63 

are  covered  with  large  boulders.  It  is  hard  work  with  but 
scant  reward  for  the  labor  expended,  and  )'et  the  farmers 
seem  happy  and  do  not  complain  at  their  hard  lot. 

Before  leaving  Scandinavia  on  our  journey  to  the 
Golden  Gate,  we  go  northward  on  Swedish  soil  to  the 
home  of  the  Lapp  and  Finn.  Comparatively  speaking, 
only  a  short  time  ago  the  northern  part  of  the  Scandi- 
navian Peninsula  was  an  unknown  country.  The  hardiest 
and  most  adventurous  traveler  dared  not  invade  the  re- 
gions lying  north  of  the  arctic  circle.  Mount  Avasaxa, 
a  little  south  of  the  circle,  from  which  a  perfect  view  oi 
the  midnight  sun  can  be  had  June  22-25,  was  long  the 
northern  limit  of  aspiring  travelers.  It  was  easily  reached 
from  the  head  of  the  Bothnian  Gulf.  The  records  kept 
since  168 1,  in  an  old  church  near  the  mountain,  give  the 
names  of  a  number  of  distinguished  explorers  who  visited 
the  place  during  the  seventeenth  and  the  early  part  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  But  steam  and  electricity  have 
changed  all  this.  Swedish  enterprise  and  skillful  engineer- 
ing have  built  a  railway  far  north  of  the  polar  circle, 
and  the  frigid  zone  is  invaded  by  steam  engine  and  rail- 
way trains.  We  are  carried  by  rail  to  Malmberg,  a  little 
beyond  the  sixty-seventh  degree  of  north  latitude. 

By  rail,  1,245  niiles  north  of  Copenhagen,  with  a  va- 
riation of  a  few  degrees  eastward,  we  reach  Gel-li-va-re 
which  is,  so  far  as  we  know,  the  northernmost  railway  town 
in  the  world.  It  is  five  miles  south  of  the  iron  n^ills  at 
Malmberg.  Leaving  the  capital  of  Denmark  at  1 1 :  30  A. 
M.,  on  Tuesday,  July  9,  we  arrived  at  Gel-li-va-re  on  the 
following  Friday.  After  passing  Stockholm  we  traveled 
by  day  and  rested  at  night.  This  is  a  matter  of  necessity, 
for  the  train  stops  for  two  nights  on  the  way.  At  Gel- 
li-va-re  we  found  excellent  lodging  at  very  reasonable  rates, 


64  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

and  here  we  spent  three  days,  —  "  and  nights  "  —  we  were 
going  to  write,  but  the  word  night  is  a  misnomer,  for  we 
had  bright  sunshine  and  daylight  during  the  entire  sev- 
enty-two hours  of  our  stay.  But  it  is  hard  to  realize  that 
we  are  in  a  land  where  there  is  no  night.  One  of  our 
difificulties  is  to  get  sleep  enough.  Yesterday,  after  taking 
what  at  home  would  have  been  our  evening  meal,  we  sat 
down  to  write.  We  wrote  on  and  became  absorbed  in 
the  work.  After  the  lapse  of  some  time,  wife  said,  "  Do 
you  know  what  time  it  is?"  And  behold  it  was  nearly  12 
o'clock,  and  ought  to  have  been  as  dark  as  midnight,  but 
it  was  as  light  as  day. 

On  Friday,  July  12,  at  10  P.  M.,  we  started  to  climb 
the  observatory  on  Mount  Dundret,  some  five  miles  from 
Gel-li-va-re,  and  about  2,700  feet  above  the  sea  level 
From  the  summit  is  to  be  had  a  magnificent  view  of  the 
"Midnight  Sun"  from  about  June  i  to  July  15.  The  sk)' 
was  cloudless  and  as  clear  and  bright  as  crystal.  The 
conditions  for  the  grand  sight  in  store  for  us  were  per- 
fect. After  toiling  upward  for  nearly  two  hours  we  reached 
the  top  of  the  hill  and  were  rewarded  with  a  view  we 
shall  never  forget.  "Midnight  Sun"  some  one  in  poetical 
fancy  has  called  it.  But  there  can  be  no  night  where  the 
sun  shines.  On  the  mountain  top  I  sat  down  and  wrote, 
and  here  are  the  thoughts  and  reflections  that  came  to  me 
in  this  presence  chamber  of  the  Almighty. 

There  is  around  and  about  me  the  strange,  subdued, 
solemn  stillness  which  marks  the  midnight  hour  in  those 
latitudes  where  darkness  at  this  moment  covers  the  earth 
as  with  a  mantle.  Not  a  sound  is  heard.  The  leafy  song- 
sters are  hushed  and  with  folded  wing  sleep  in  the  green 
foliage  about  the  hilltop.  From  the  valley  at  my  feet 
comes   no   sound   of   life.     Tis   midnight   hour,  but   vonder 


■n 

a 
2 

Q 


K 

H 


MIDNIGHT    SUN.  (i"] 

shines  the  sun.  I  note  that,  as  the  hands  of  my  watch 
indicate  the  hour  of  twelve,  tlie  sun  is  shining  full  in  my 
face,  exactly  from  the  northern  point  of  my  compass. 
It  is  as  if  the  great  orb  of  day  had  suddenly  appeared 
lighting  up  the  world  at  its  quiet,  restful  midnight  hour. 
True,  the  light  is  somewhat  subdued;  the  northern  sky  is 
painted  in  deep  carmine  tints,  and  the  sun  is  bathed  in  a 
flood  of  crimson  almost  bloodred,  but  it  shines  and  gives 
forth  its  light. 

Creeping,  as  it  were,  along  the  northern  mountain 
barrier,  just  above  the  horizon,  the  sun  moves  on.  It  has 
touched  its  lowest  northern  point  and  rises  higher  and 
higher  as  it  hastens  eastward  on  its  everlasting  circuit  of 
the  heavens.  The  deep  red  of  the  sky  makes  a  strikingly 
beautiful  contrast  with  the  clearly-defined  blue  and  white 
of  the  mountains.  Far  up  in  the  eastern  heavens  hangs 
the  moon,  paled  to  dimness  by  her  midnight  rival.  She 
is  no  longer  mistress  of  the  night.  The  stars  which  shine 
so  brightly  in  "  the  infinite  meadows  of  heaven "  in  our 
own  homeland,  here  refuse  to  give  their  light;  I  look  in 
vain  for  Orion,  the  Dipper,  the  Little  Bear  and  the  Polar 
Star.  Moon  and  stars  alike  hold  their  light  in  abeyance, 
for  soon  the  long,  dreary  winter  night  will  come,  and  they 
shall  shine  forth  with  a  brightness  and  a  glory  compen- 
satory for  all  their  loss  now.  The  sun  rules  now,  and  as 
I  witness  his  power  at  this  hour,  I  realize  as  I  have  never 
realized  before,  that  the  earth  is,  after  all,  only  a  small 
factor  in  the  great  solar  system. 

Sitting  thus  on  Mount  Dundret,  an  astonished  beholder 
of  the  wonders  of  God's  works,  I  recall  and  repeat  the 
words  of  Israel's  sweet  singer.  From  this  time  forth  they 
will  contain  new  beauty  and  meaning  for  me: 


68 


GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 


"  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God;  and  the  firmament  shew- 
eth  his  handywork.  Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech,  and  night  unto 
night  sheweth  knowledge.  There  is  no  speech  nor  language,  where 
their  voice  is  not  heard.  Their  line  is  gone  out  through  all  the  earth, 
and  their  words  unto  the  end  of  the  world.  In  them  hath  he  set  a 
tabernacle  for  the  sun,  which  is  as  a  bridegroom  coming  forth  out  of 
his  chamber,  and  rejoiceth  as  a  strong  man  to  run  a  race.  His  going 
forth  is  from  the  end  of  the  heaven,  and  his  circuit  unto  the  ends  of  it." 

Coming  down  from  the  mountain  we  reached  our 
lodging  place  at  3  A.  M.,  and  retired  to  our  beds  to  rest. 
but  not  to  sleep.  The  sun  shone  brightl}-,  lighting  up  our 
rooms,  and  the  mind,  pondering  over  what  our  eyes  had 
seen,  was  too  activel}-  engaged  for  sleep.  It  came  not  to 
our  eyes,  neither  did  slumber  visit  our  eyelids  for  some 
hours. 


iMARKt'i     I'LACE,    Jl.^LLE, 


CHAPTER  III. 


Leaving  the  Northland —  Through  Germany  —  A  Beautiful  I'alley  — 
Schwarsenau  and  the  Eder  —  Persecuted  Reformers  —  The  Rhine 
—  Mayence  to  Cologne —  The  City  of  Worms  and  Luther's  Denk- 
mal  —  Lucerne — Clirnbing  Rigi —  William  Tell —  The  Axen- 
strasse  —  The  St.  Gothard  Railivay  —  TJie  Great  Tunnel  —  Lom- 
bardy  —  Arrival  at  Milan. 

Regretfully  we  leave  the  Northland  with  its  "  mid- 
night sun,"  for  country  and  people  have  been  an  inter- 
esting stud}-.  On  our  southern  wa\'  we  pass  through  Co- 
penhagen, where  Christian  IX.,  father  of  kings  and  queens, 
holds  modest  court  and  gives  to  the  rulers  of  Europe  an 
example  of  conjugal  fidelity  worthy  of  imitation.  Thence 
we  pass  into  Germany  and  spend  a  short  time  at  our  old 
German  home,  the  university  town  of  Halle.  Here  a  fa- 
miliar sight  greets  our  eyes  as  we  leave  the  depot  and  walk 
up  the  street,  —  the  market  women  with  great  baskets  on 
their  backs.  The  sight  is  common  in  many  parts  of  north- 
ern Europe,  for  here  women  are  the  burden  bearers.  These 
seen  on  the  streets  of  Halle  to-day  are  on  their  way  to 
the  market,  a  place  always  interesting  to  visit.  But  we 
must  not  linger  here.  We  visit  our  old  \Virthi)i  (land- 
lady) and  receive  a  most  hearty  welcome  supplemented 
by  a  pressing  invitation  to  drink  coffee  with  her,  an  act 
of  hospitalit}'  never  forgotten  by  the  Germans  when  friends 
visit  them. 

Continuing  our  journey  we  visit  a  place  of  special 
historic    interest  to    our    people.     Again    I    find    my    notes 

helpful,  for  there  I  find  written:  We  have  found  a  secluded 

169) 


;o 


GIRDLING   TtlE    GLOBE. 


little  German  village  far  away  from  the  rush  and  bustle 
of  the  busy  world  of  travel.  It  is  one  of  those  quaint,  old- 
fashioned  towns  that  are  quite  out  of  place  in  the  present. 
It  belongs  to  the  past  and  has  not  yet  awakened  to  the 
impulse  of  the  age,  which  has  taken  hold  of  Germany. 
Its    peace    and    quiet    has    never  been   disturbed   by  steam 


MARKET    WOMEN. 


whistle  or  rumbling  of  trains  of  cars.  For  centuries  it  has 
rested  in  the  beautiful  valley  through  which,  like  a  thread 
of  silver  in  a  ribbon  of  green,  flows  the  historic  river  Eder. 
The  village  is  built  on  both  sides  of  the  Eder  and  contains, 
as  we  were  informed  by  one  of  the  inhabitants,  about  600 
souls.     On  the  outer  walls  of  one  of  the  principal  houses 


SCHVVARZENAU. 


71 


hangs  a  square  signboard,  on  the  white  surface  of  which 
is  painted  in  large  black  letters  the  following  official  record 
of  the  place:  D.  Schivarzenmi,  Amt  Arfcld,  Kr.  Wittgenstein, 
Rg.  Bz.  Arnsberg,  La?idwehr-Battalio?is,  Bezirk  Mcschede. 


^in?f^ 


■^<mm^- 


:m^ 


^mm^ 


Mtt-s 


'^m^A^ 


VILLAGE    OF    SCHWAKZENAU. 


I  write,  seated  on  the  approach  to  the  footbridge  used 
b\'  the  villagers  to  cross  the  Eder.  On  both  sides  of  the 
river  stand  the  quaint-looking  old  houses  with  high  gables 
and  steep  roofs,  covered  with  straw  or  red  tile,  which 
make  up  the  ancient  village  of  Schwarzenau.  The  village 
children,  in  peculiar  dress,  stand  at  respectful  distance, 
watching,  with  open-eyed  wonder,  the  strangers  who  have 
invaded   their  quiet  little  town.     Even  the  elderly  people 


;^ 


GIRnLIXO    THE    CLOBE. 


Stop  and  give  us  a  look  of  surprised  inquiry  and  collect 
in  groups  to  discuss  the  strange  sight  of  a  drosky  with 
travelers  in  their  streets.  As  they  pass  b)-  the}-  greet  us 
cordiall}-  w  ith  a  "  (iiitcii  Tag.''  Wife  walks  along  the  mean- 
dering stream,  the  water  of  which  is  as  clear  as  crystal, 
and   the    genth'-sloping    banks   are    covered    with    grass    to 


THE    BRIDGE    AT    SCHWARZENAU. 


the  very  edge  of  the  river.  A  well-kept  lawn  is  not  more 
evenly  mowed  than  are  the  grassy  slopes  of  the  Eder 
It  is  a  quiet  October  day,  a  day  that  recalls  our  own  de- 
lightful Indian  summer  weather  at  home.  The  mountains 
that  border  both  sides  of  the  valley  are  covered  with  a 
thick  growth  of  pine,  birch,  maple  and  beech.     The  touch 


TIIK    RIVER    EDER.  73 

of  early  autumn  frost  has  tinged  the  foliage  with  a  rich 
coloring  of  crimson,  red  and  gold.  Up  the  stream,  a  hun- 
dred yards  away,  is  the  old  five-arched  stone  bridge  built 
years  and  years  ago;  and  be}'ond  this  a  beautiful  stretch 
of  green  meadow  land.  Sitting  here  on  the  old  footbridge, 
with  the  valley  a  mile  above  and  below  Schwarzenau  in 
full  view,  I  have  in  mind  no  picture  more  beautiful  than 
this. 

On  the  blue  Juniata,  as  it  cuts  its  way  through  the 
Alleghenies,  there  are  some  enchanted  spots  that  I  recall 
sitting  here  by  the  Eder,  but  the  similarity  is  scarcely 
sufficient  to  base  a  comparison  upon  it.  The  Juniata  has 
a  grand,  rugged,  dashing  beauty  peculiar  to  itself;  here 
the  sharp  curves,  the  rushing  river,  the  rocky  shores, 
and  the  steep  mountains  are  replaced  by  a  gently-flowing 
stream  through  a  valley  of  green  meadow  land,  formed 
b\'  mountains  of  even  slope  and  less  than  half  the  altitude 
of  the  Blue  Ridge.  Here  is  a  quiet,  enchanting  beauty 
which  exceeds  anxthing  I  can  now  recall  ever  having  seen, 
even  in  picturesque  America.  Perhaps  the  associations 
connected  with  the  place  have  their  influence  upon  our 
estimate  of  its  surpassing  beauty;  but  after  making  due 
allowance  for  all  this,  I  am  not  willing  to  say  less  than  has 
been  said. 

And  what  are  the  associations  connected  with  this 
quiet,  old-fashioned  German  hamlet?  Many  of  my  read- 
ers know,  and  others  will  be  interested  in  knowing,  that 
here  at  Schwarzenau,  nearly  two  hundred  years  ago,  the 
dying  embers  of  primitive  Christianity  were  rekindled  and 
the  Brethren  church  was  more  fully  organized.  Here,  on 
the  banks  of  this  beautiful  stream,  doubtless  not  far  from 
where  I  write,  the  Brethren  assembled  in  the  year  1708, 
and,  following  the  example  of  Christ,  as  one  of  our  learned 


74  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

divines  of  America  recently  followed  it  in  the  river  Jordan, 
went  down  into  the  water  and  were  baptized  "  into  the 
name  of  the  Father,  and  into  the  name  of  the  Son,  and 
into  the  name  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  And  from  here  went 
forth  that  little  band  of  persecuted  believers,  exiled  from 
their  "  Vaterland'"'  to  find  a  home  in  the  Quaker  colony  of 
Pennsylvania. 

Under  the  mild  rule  of  the  good  Count  Cassimir  of 
Wittgenstein,  who  gave  an  asylum  to  the  persecuted 
Pietists,  the  newly  reorganized  church  flourished  for  a  sea- 
son, and  prosperous  congregations  were  soon  established  at 
different  places,  especially  at  Marienborn  and  Berleburg, 
But  tiiey  were  not  to  live  in  peace.  The  reformers,  who 
had  been  persecuted  by  Rome,  now  turned  persecutors 
themselves  and  laid  a  heavy  hand  on  the  Brethren.  Refus- 
ing to  give  up  their  faith  in  Apostolic  Christianity,  many  of 
them  were  cast  into  prison  and  heavy  fines  were  imposed 
upon  all  "  of  this  way."  Hochmann,  a  prominent  minister, 
was  cast  into  prison  and  beaten  with  many  stripes.  Alex- 
ander Mack,  one  of  their  most  prominent  ministers,  had  in- 
herited a  considerable  fortune.  It  was  all  used  in  paying 
fines  for  himself  and  his  poor  brethren.  At  length  the  per- 
secution became  so  grievous  that  a  number  of  them  left 
their  homes  to  settle  in  the  wilderness  of  the  New  World. 
Others  fled  to  Switzerland,  hoping  to  secure  religious  liber- 
ty in  that  republic,  but  a  worse  fate  awaited  them  there. 
They  were  imprisoned,  and  some  were  put  to  death.  By 
these  rioforous  measures  the  State  Church  succeeded  in  its 
purpose,  and  no  vestige  of  the  church  of  the  Brethren  is  to 
be  found  in  those  valleys  to-day. 

We  have  been  brought  into  close  contact  with  the 
homes  of  our  Brethren  in  Germany.  We  have  seen  where 
they  lived  and  labored,  and  we  are  much  impressed  with 


PERSECUTED    BRETHREN.  75 

the  thought  of  the  great  sacrifice  they  made  when  they  left 
these  beautiful  and  fertile  valleys  for  the  wilds  of  the  New 
World.  We  are  made  to  admire,  more  and  more,  their 
courage  and  the  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  which  led  them  to 
abandon  home  and  the  associations  of  a  life-time  for  the 
sake  of  primitive  Christianity.  How  they  must  have  suf- 
fered and  what  hardships  they  must  have  endured,  all  for 
the  sake  of  religious  liberty!  How  often  from  their  lonely 
homes  on  Indian  Creek  and  the  Wissahickon,  at  White 
Oak,  at  Ephrata,  and  at  Germantown,  surrounded  by  the 
Red  Man  of  the  forest,  must  they  have  looked  back  with 
longing,  yearning  hearts  to  this  beautiful  valley  of  the  Eder, 
once  their  quiet,  peaceful,  happy  home,  from  which  they 
were  exiled  never  to  return  again. 

How  often  must  they  have  battled  with  the  homesick 
feeling  that  will  come  to  all  who  love  home  and  leave  it. 
How  often  they  dreamed  that  their  feet  pressed  again  the 
grassy  slopes  of  the  Eder,  that  they  drank  again  of  its  crys- 
tal water  and  breathed  again  the  pure  mountain  air,  and 
were  happy  again  in  their  old  homes,  only  to  awake  and 
find  it  all  a  dream.  We  have  thought  more  of  all  this  per- 
haps because  we  are  far  away  from  home  and  friends  and 
know  something  of  the  desire  to  return  again.  These  brave 
men  and  women  endured  much  so  that  they  might  serve  the 
Lord  in  his  own  appointed  way.  Long  ago  they  were 
gathered  to  that  home  where  the  weary  are  at  rest  and 
from  which  they  will  never  be  exiled.  The  cause  they 
loved  so  well,  and  for  which  they  sacrificed  so  much,  still 
lives.  And  shall  it  not  continue  to  live?  Shall  not  we,  who 
to-day  stand  in  the  places  of  those  who  have  gone  before, 
hold  up  the  cause  of  Apostolic  Christianity?  Shall  we  not 
be  true  to  the  cause  we  have  espoused  and  for  which  our 
fathers  suffered  so  much,  yea,  for  which  Christ  died? 


']Ci  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

The  people  of  the  village  are  engaged  in  farming  and 
appear  to  be  well-to-do  and  happy.  Their  piety  asserts 
itself  in  the  custom  of  engraving  passages  of  Scripture  on 
the  oak  sills  and  panels  in  the  sides  and  gables  of  their 
houses.  Not  only  at  Schwarzenau,  but  at  other  villages  in 
the  valley  of  the  Eder,  we  noticed  passages  of  Scripture, 
short  poems,  and  pious  mottoes  graven  deeply  in  the  sills, 
beams,  and  gables  of  the  houses. 

"  Gott  segne  dieses  Hans 
Unci  einen  jedeii-  Stand, 
Den  Burger  in  der  Stadf, 
Den  Bauer  auf  dem  Laud, 
Gib  Segeii  tmd  GedeiJien 
A  ucJi  fiir  ein  jedes  J  Vesen , 
Besonders  noch  fiir  den 
Der  diesen  Sprue h  thut  iesen." 

Translated  this  reads: 

"  God  bless  this  house, 
And  each  and  every  occupation, 
The  citizen  of  the  town, 
The  farmer  on  the  field, 
Give  blessings  and  prosperity 
Also  to  each  being. 
Especially  to  him 
Who  may  read  this  iiiscription." 

As  I  stood  copying  these  lines  the  owner  of  the 
house  came  out  and  informed  me  that  he  had  placed  them 
there  with  his  own  hand.  He  read  them  over  several  times 
and  seemed  to  be  much  pleased  that  his  work  was  thus  no- 
ticed. At  another  place  I  read,  "  Dieses  Ha7is  gelidrt  Gott 
u?id  miry  Here  the  owner  takes  the  Lord  into  partnership 
with  him.  A  lesson  may  be  learned  from  this  simple  vil- 
lager. We  have  two  much  of  the  "' I  o:i'/i  this  property" 
and  not  enough  of  the  "  It  belongs  to  the  Lord  "  in  our  way 
of  looking  at  that  over  which   God   has  itiade  us  stewards. 


CHRISTOPHER    SAUR.  ']'] 

One  more  example  will  suffice:  "  Ich  gctraii  Gott  in  allcr 
Notliy  Much  of  the  carving  is  very  skillfully  done,  the  old 
German  letters  being  used  and  the  capitals  finely  decorated. 

Not  far  from  Schwarzenau  is  the  town  of  Berleburg. 
This  was  a  noted  center  for  our  Brethren  and  other  so- 
called  Pietists.  They  came  here  from  many  parts  of  Ger- 
many. Among  others  who  came  was  a  printer  from  Strass- 
burg  named  John  Jacob  Hang.  He  had  been  awakened, 
and  came  to  Berleburg  to  enjoy  the  society  of  kindred 
spirits.  A  [)rinting  jjress  was  set  up  —  for  these  early  Breth- 
ren believed  in  the  use  of  printer's  ink — and  Hang  took 
charge  of  the  office.  Here  in  1726  the  celebrated  Berle- 
burg Bible,  with  notes,  was  published  in  three  volumes.  A 
copy  of  this  Bible  may  be  seen  in  the  Cassel  Library  at  Mt. 
Morris,  111.  The  printing  press  was  afterwards  sent  to 
America  where,  in  1736,  it  came  into  the  possession  of  Eld. 
Christopher  Saur,  and  he  used  it  to  print  the  first  religious 
paper  and  the  first  Bible  (1743)  that  was  printed  in 
America. 

Christopher  Saur,  Sen.,  the  printer,  was  a  man  of  more 
than  ordinary  ability.  He  received  a  liberal  education  at 
the  University  of  Marburg,  Germany.  He  united  with  the 
Brethren  and  used  his  ability  and  education  to  further  the 
cause  of  Christ.  He  had  energy  and  business  push.  He 
gave  the  German  colonists  their  first  almanac  and  their  first 
religious  paper,  and  then,  owing  to  the  fact  that  Bibles 
were  very  scarce  in  the  new  colony,  he  determined  to  give 
to  his  countrymen  the  Scriptures  in  their  own  tongue.  He 
began  the  work  under  great  difficulties.  A  friend  in  Frank- 
fort, Germany,  sent  him  a  part  of  the  type.  A  few  pages 
were  set  up  and  printed,  and  then  the  type  distributed  to  be 
set  up  again.  At  last,  in  1743,  he  sent  out  the  first  edition 
of  the  first  Bible  ever  published  in  a  European  language  in 


78 


GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 


America.  The  credit  of  this  important  work  thus  belongs 
to  the  band  of  exiled  Brethren.  The  book,  a  large  quarto, 
was  bound  in  boards  and  leather,  and  of  such  excellent 
workmanship  was  the  binding  that  many  well-preserved 
copies  are  yet  to  be  found.  The  demand  for  the  Bible 
made  it  necessary  to  issue  two  more  editions,  one   in   1763 


HOTEL    AT    SCHVVARZENAU. 

and  the  last  in  1776.  The  author  is  the  fortunate  possessor 
of  a  copy  of  each  of  the  three  editions  of  this  now  rare  and 
valuable  book.  The  volumes  are  in  a  good  state  of  preser- 
vation, showing  the  excellent  character  of  the  work  done  by 
the  honest  bookbinder  more  than  a  century  ago. 

A  short  stay  at  Schwarzenau's  only  hotel,  the  "  Roesner 
House,"  and  we  drive  down  the  valley  of  the  Eder  over  a 


COUNTRY    PEOPLE. 


79 


well-kept  macadamized  road.  What  fine  roads  are  to  be 
found  in  Germany!  In  this  respect  Europe  is  far  ahead  of 
our  own  country.  There  are  no  fences  by  the  wayside,  and 
the  grass  is  kept  mowed  down  to  the  edge  of  the  road. 
Fruit  trees — pear,  cherry,  apple  and  plum — are  planted  by 
the  roadside.     The  pears  were  ripe,  and  for   five  cents   we 


THE    ROAD    TO    SCHWARZENAU. 


purchased  a  small  measure  and  regaled  ourselves  on  the 
luscious  fruit.  We  meet  the  country  people,  in  quaint  and 
curious  costume,  returning  from  the  market.  In  the  fields 
women  are  at  work  mowing  grass  and  digging  potatoes. 
They  must  work  hard  and  keep  at  it  constantly.  Now  we 
cross  a  range  of  hills  and  enter  the  valley  of  the  Eder,  and 
as  the  evening  shades  come  down  we  drive  into  the  univer- 


8o 


GIKDLIXC;    THE    (ILDliE. 


sity  city  of  Marburg.     The  drive  of  twenty  miles  was  de- 
lightfully pleasant  and  most  enjoyable. 

From  Marburg  to  Germany's  most  famous  river  is  but  a 
few  hours  by  rail.  The  beauties  of  the  Rhine  have  been 
extolled  in  song  and  story  for  centuries,  and  yet  the  sub- 
ject has  not  been  exhausted.     From  Mayence  to   Cologne 


OLD    CASTLES    ON    THE    RHINE. 

and  return  took  two  days  of  our  time.  The  distance  trav- 
eled in  making  the  round  trip  is  only  two  hundred  and  fifty 
miles;  but  there  is  crowded  into  this  short  limit  more  beau- 
tiful scener\',  historic  associations,  weird  stories  and  won- 
derful legends  than  is  crowded  into  a  similar  distance  on 
any  other  ri\er  in  the  world.  The  legends  of  the  Rhine  fill 
a  volume  in  themselves,  and  here  is   to  be  found  the  jilot 


CASTLES    OX    THE    RHINE.  8l 

and  groundwork  of  many  a  modern  novel  and  love  story. 
Every  hill  and  mountain  and  valley  has  legends  of  brave 
knight,  of  fair  lady,  of  doughty  deeds  of  arms,  of  faithless 
lover  and  womanly  devotion  of  the  ages  of  chivalry.  In- 
termingled with  these  are  the  older  stories  of  heathen  times, 
when  dragon,  gnome,  water  n\-mph,  and  fairy,  as  the  peo- 
ple believed,  frequented  all  the  shores  of  the  Rhine.  There 
is  not  a  ruined  castle  wall  or  dilapidated  tower  between 
Mayence  and  Cologne, — and  there  are  scores  of  them, — that 
does  not  have  its  historical  association  and  its  equally 
interesting  and  often  beautiful  legend. 

But  in  all  Rhineland  there  is  no  place  of  more  historic 
interest  than  the  quaint  old  city  of  Worms.  It  was  here, 
in  April,  1521,  that  the  Imperial  Diet,  or  council,  was  held, 
at  which  Luther  defended  his  doctrines  before  the  Emperor 
Charles  V.  and  an  august  assembly  of  the  notable  church- 
men and  rulers  of  Europe,  closing  with  these  memorable 
words:  '' Hicr  stcJic  icJi;  icJi  kaiui  nicJit  anders.  Gott  helfe 
mir.  A)nciiy  "  Here  I  stand,  I  cannot  act  otherwise,  God 
help  me!  Amen."  These  bold  words,  uttered  before  the 
highest  council  in  all  Europe,  sounded  the  death  knell  of 
papal  rule  in  Germany  and  stood  out  in  the  great  struggle 
for  religious  freedom  as  words  of  hope  and  courage.  Two 
places  in  this  old  Rhine  city  no  traveler  will  pass  by  with- 
out a  visit.  One  is  the  Luther  Denkmal  (  monument)  and 
the  other  the  beautiful  modern  residence  of  Heyl,  the 
wealthy  manufacturer  of  Worms,  which  stands  on  the  site 
of  the  Bishofshof  or  episcopal  palace  where  the  Diet  of 
Worms  was  held.  The  palace  was  destroyed  by  the  French 
in  1689.  The  site,  as  before  intimated,  is  now  occupied  by  a 
fine  private  residence.  The  pious  owner  has  these  words 
placed  prominently  on  the  outer  wall: 


82 


GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 


"  DitScs  I  fans  itiid  Vatcrland 
Nimm,  Gott,  in  dcin  gctrcuc  //and. 

The  Luther  inonuinent  was  erected  in  iS5S  at  a  cost  of 
nearly  a  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  it  is  said  to  be  one 
of  the  finest  of  the  kind  in  Europe.  It  has  been  said  that 
it  is  worth  a  trip  across  the  Atlantic  to  see  this  memorial  of 


LLlllLK    MONUMENT. 


the  great  reformer.  It  is  composed  of  a  massive  platform 
forty-eight  feet  square  and  nine  and  a  half  feet  high.  In 
the  center  is  a  large  bronze  pedestal,  surrounded  by  sev- 
en smaller  ones;  on  the  central  pedestal  stands  Luther's 
statue  in  bronze,  eleven  feet  in  height.  In  his  left  hand  he 
holds  the  Bible,  with  his  right  hand  resting  upon  it.  His 
face  is  turned  upward  and  the  features  show  deep  faith  and 


< 

H 
H 

O 

u 

C/2 


LUTHER    MONUMENT.  8$ 

trust.  On  the  smaller  pedestals  are  statues  of  those  "  bold 
spirits  "  who  before  or  along  with  him  had  fought  the  last 
struggle  for  the  freedom  of  the  reformation.  Here  are  Peter 
Waldrus  the  Frenchman,  John  Wickliffe  the  Englishman, 
John  Huss  the  Bohemian,  Savonarola  the  Italian  and  Phil- 
ipp  Melanchthon  the  German.  These  strong  words  of  the 
reformer  compose  one  of  the  most  striking  of  the  nian\-  in- 
scriptions found  here: 

"  Das  EvajigeliuDi,  -juelches  dcr  Herr  den  Aposteln  in  dot  Miiiid 
geiej^t  hat  isi  sein  Schwert,  damit  schldgt  cr  in  die  iVcU  als  in  it  Blitz 
und  Donncr." 

"  The  Gospel,  which  the  Lord  hath  put  into  the  mouths  of  the  apos- 
tles, is  his  sword;  with  it  he  strikes  the  world  as  with  lightnin<^  and 
thunder." 

Switzerland,  the  Republic  of  Europe,  the  land  of  the 
free,  the  home  of  Tell  and  his  brave  compatriots!  How  my 
heart  burned  within  me  when,  in  m\'  schoolboy  days  nearly 
fifty  \-ears  ago,  I  read  over  and  over  again  the  story  of  the 
brave, 'heroic,  successful  struggle  of  these  hardy  mountain- 
eers to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  their  tyrant  masters!  And 
now,  under  God"s  providence,  we  are  permitted  to  visit  the 
oldest  republic  in  the  world.  Worms  and  its  Dcnlanal,  the 
Rhine  and  its  beautiful  scenery  are  lost  as  in  a  dream  in  the 
presence  of  the  awful  grandeur  of  the  Alps,  with  their  ever- 
lasting mantles  of  ice  and  snow. 

In  the  beautiful  cit}-  of  Lucerne,  nestling  at  the  feet  of 
Pilatus  and  Rigi,  we  found  a  pleasant  little  hotel  with  the 
modest  name  of  "  Des  Alpes,"  and  here  for  a  season  we 
make  our  home.  Here  one  meets  people  from  all  parts  of 
the  civilized  world,  attracted  b\-  the  grand  scenery  and  the 
romantic  Vierwaldstatter  See,  as  Lake  Lucerne  is  called. 
It  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  most  famous  and  popular  summer 
resorts  in  all  Europe,  and  the  crowds  of  tourists  "  on  pleas- 


86  CIKIH.IXC     rilK    GLOBE. 

lire  bent"  attest  the  truthfulness  of  the  statement.  In  the 
quiet  bosom  of  the  valley,  surrounded  by  Alpine  mountains 
whose  crags  and  peaks  are  mirrored  in  its  placid  waters, 
lies  the  beautiful  lake,  bounded  by  the  four  Swiss  cantons, 
or  states,  of  Uri,  Schwyz,  Unterwalden  and  Lucerne.  It  is 
unsurpassed,  not  only  in  Switzerland,  but  in  all  Europe,  in 
the  grandeur  and  magnificence  of  its  scenery.  The  lake 
seen  from  the  top  of  Mount  Rigi  presents  to  view  the 
shape  of  a  cross;  the  bay  of  Lucerne  forming  the  head,  the 
ba\-s  of  Kiissnacht  and  Alpnacht  the  arms,  and  those  of 
Buochs  and  Uri  the  foot.  At  the  north  end  of  the  lake  the 
river  Reuss,  with  its  clear  emerald-green  waters,  issues  from 
the  lake  with  the  swiftness  of  a  torrent.  Lucerne  is  built 
on  both  sides  of  the  river,  which  is  crossed  by  five  bridges. 
Both  lake  and  river  abound  in  fine  fish,  and  those  who  find 
pleasure  in  taking  the  finny  tribe  with  hook  and  line  may 
here  indulge  to  their  heart's  content.  The  walks  and  drive- 
ways along  the  quay  and  the  banks  of  the  river  are  densely 
shaded  and  delightfully  pleasant  in  midsummer. 

Our  little  party  determined  to  try  mountain  climbing, 
and  the  ascent  of  Mount  Rigi,  it  was  thought,  would  satisfy 
our  ambition  in  this  direction;  and  it  did.  The  regulation 
AlpLintocks  —  heavy  sticks  some  six  feet  in  length,  armed 
at  one  end  with  an  iron  spike — were  secured  and  an  early 
start  was  made  for  the  mountain  top.  In  the  cool  of  the 
morning  the  gentle  mountain  slopes  were  easy  enough,  but 
when  the  ascent  became  steeper  and  the  sun  shone  down 
with  midsummer  heat  we  were  compelled  to  seek  shaded 
resting  places  many  times  before  the  coveted  summit  was 
reached.  But  at  last,  when  the  grand,  rugged  beauty  of  the 
Alpine  scenery  burst  into  full  view,  from  the  mountain  top, 
every  one  felt  amply  repaid  for  the  fatigue  incident  to  the 
upward   climbing   of   nearly   si.x   thousand   feet   above   sea 


y. 

S 

N 

H 


'A 

u 


TELL  S    MONUMENT. 


89 


level.     Owing   to   the   isolation  of   the  mountain  the  view 
from  Rigi  sweeps  over  three  hundred  miles  in  extent,  and 


TELL'S    MONUMENT. 


is  by  far  the    grandest    in    Switzerland.     The    descent    was 
made  in  the  evening  time,  and  it  was  much  easier  than  the 


90  GIRDLING    THE    GLOliE. 

climbing,  and  yet  the  strain  on  the  muscles  was  much  more 
tr\-ing  than  in  going  up.  I'or  several  days  after  the  climb 
to  the  top  of  Rigi  I  sat  in  my  room  in  the  hotel  nursing 
tired  and  painful  muscles,  and  making  resolutions  to  give 
up  Alpine  mountain  climbing. 

A  boatride  from  Lucerne  to  Fliielen  and  return  is  one 
of  the  most  pleasant  and  at  the  same  time  interesting  ex- 
cursions on  tiic  lake.  Fiiielen  is  at  one  end  of  the  "See" 
and  Lucerne  at  the  other.  The  distance  between  the  two 
points  is  twenty-three  miles,  and  the  greatest  width  of  the 
lake  is  two  and  a  half  miles.  During  the  summer  season 
steamboats  pl\'  regularly  between  Lucerne  and  Fliielen, 
stopping  at  intermediate  points.  Two  places  of  special  his- 
toric interest  on  the  tour  of  the  lake  always  attract  the  at- 
tention of  the  traveler.  The  one  is  the  spot  where,  with  an 
arrow,  William  Tell,  by  order  of  Gessler,  shot  an  apple  from 
the  head  of  his  son,  and  the  other  where  he  shot  and  killed 
the  tyrant.  The  first  is  at  Fliielen.  The  day  before  our 
arrival  a  fine  monument  had  been  unveiled  to  commemorate 
Tell's  wonderful  feat  of  archery.  A  bronze  figure  of  the 
patriot,  with  his  left  hand  resting  on  his  boy's  head  at  his 
side  and  his  right  hand  holding  his  trusty  crossbow  on  his 
shoulder,  stands  on  a  granite  base  bearing  this  inscription: 

Efzd/i/ci!  loird  man. 
Von  dcin  ScJiittzen   Tell, 
So  lang  die  Be7\s[e, 
Stchn  auf  ilireni  Cnuide, 

1307 
W'llhelin   Tell, 

iSqs. 

The  spot  where  Gessler  fell  pierced  by  Tell's  unerring 
arrow  is  marked  by  a  beautiful  chapel,  the  outer  foundation 
of  which  is  built  in  the  water  of  the  lake.  It  is  a  spot  of 
wondrous    beauty.     The    steep    mountain   side   is    covered 


PS 


w 

D 


TELL  S    CHAPEL. 


93 


with  a  dense  shrubbery.  In  the  distance  the  snow-covered 
Alps  are  to  be  seen.  Beyond  the  chapel  among  the  rocks, 
almost  hidden  by  the  green  foliage,  is  pointed  out  the  place 
where  Tell  stood,  and  from  which  sped  the  fatal  arrow  that 
freed  his  native  land  from  the  oppressor.  Some  writers 
there  are  who  w  ould  deprive  the  world  of  the  story  of  Tell, 
but  I  prefer  to  accept  it  as  it  has  been  immortalized  by  the 
pen  of  Schiller  How  with  bated  breath,  and  anxious  heart 
for  the  fate  of  the  hero,  I  first  read  the  story  in  my  school- 
boy days  nearly  half  a  century  ago.  And  now  it  is  doubly 
interesting  to  recall  it  all  here,  amid  the  mountains  and  on 
this  beautiful  lake  where  the  thrilling  events  occurred. 


-li=*;.   — :',. 


TLLLS   CHAPEL. 


Returning  from  Fliielen  in  the  afternoon  we  walked  as 
far  as  Tell's  Chapel,  where  the  steamer  stopped  to  take  up 
passengers  for  Lucerne.  The  distance  is  two  and  a  half 
miles  and  it  is   a  very  interesting  walk.     The  road,   called 


94 


GIRDLING    Till-:    GLOliE. 


the  Axenstrasse,  is  among  the  wonders  of  Switzerland, 
and  is  remarkable  for  the  boldness  of  its  construction,  bein<^ 
to  a  great  extent  hewn  in  the  rock.  It  skirts  the  lake,  and 
after  leaving  the  water  level  at  Fliielen  ascends  rapidh',  af- 
fording from  the  mountain  side  a  beautiful  view  of  the  lake 
and  the  Swiss  villages  that  cluster  on  its  borders.  At  a 
point  still  higher  the  road  passes  through  a  tunnel  cut  in  the 


THE  AXENSl'RASSE,   SWITZERLAND. 


curiously  contorted  limestone  strata.  Portions  of  the  outer 
rim  of  the  rock  have  been  cut  away,  forming  window-like 
openings  through  which  the  light  is  admitted.  Through 
these  rocky  windows  fine  views  are  to  be  had  of  the  blue 
lake  three  hundred  and  sixty  feet  below.  A  short  time 
after  passing  through  the  tunnel  we  reach  Tellsplatte, 
from  which  a  most  charming  view  is  had  of  lake  and 
mountains.  Here  we  leave  the  Axenstrasse  and  descend 
the  mountain  side   to  the   little   chapel   marking   the  spot 


SWISS    VILLAGE.  95 

where  Tell  sprang  from  Gessler's  boat.  Then  the  shrill 
whistle  of  our  steamer  sounded  out,  echoing^  and  re-echoing 
among  the  hills  and  mountains,  as  we  hastened  to  the  land- 
ing. The  delightful  evening  ride  was  much  enjoyed,  and  we 
reached  Lucerne  well  pleased  with  our  day's  sight-seeing. 

My  notebook  says  wc  left  Lucerne  Sept.  7,  for  Milan, 
Italy,  I'ia  the  St.  Gothard  railwa}',  which,  with  its  great 
tunnel  nine  and  a  quarter  miles  in  length,  piercing  the 
snowy  Alpine  range  of  mountains,  is  one  of  the  engineering 
marvels  of  the  nineteenth  century.  The  road  is  one  hun- 
dred and  six  miles  in  length  and  passes  through  no  less 
than  fifty-six  tunnels,  aggregating  twenty-five  miles  in 
length.  The  St.  Gothard  tunnel  is,  as  has  been  stated,  nine 
and  a  quarter  miles  long,  twenty-eight  feet  wide  and 
twenty-one  feet  high.  It  is  laid  with  a  double  railway  track 
and  is  arched  with  masonry  throughout. 

The  scenery  between  Lucerne  and  Goeschen,  the  en- 
trance to  the  tunnel,  is  grand  beyond  description.  The 
railway  passes  through  no  less  than  seven  loop  tunnels,  and 
in  winding  back  and  forth  up  the  mountain  side  ue  pass 
and  repass  the  same  villages.  One  of  our  party  called  at- 
tention to  the  similarity  of  the  churches  in  Switzerland, 
when,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  he  had  seen  the  same  building 
three  times.  Nestled  in  the  valleys  are  many  small  Swiss 
villages  built  at  the  base  of  great  cliffs.  After  seeing  these 
villages  one  does  not  wonder  that,  when  the  great  ava- 
lanches of  snow  sweep  down  the  mountain  side,  death  and 
destruction  come  to  the  Swiss  homes  in  these  valleys. 

We  enter  the  great  tunnel  at  the  north  end,  and  twenty 
minutes  later  emerge  into  the  blinding  sunlight  at  Ariola. 
A  wonderful  change  has  taken  place.  We  are  still  in 
Switzerland,  it  is  true,  but  instead  of  the  German  Schweiz 
we  are  among  the  Italians.     The  beautiful  Swiss  cottage  has 


96 


GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 


given  way  to  Italian  architecture.  The  faces  and  costumes 
of  the  people  are  changed.  The  fair  skin  of  the  north  has 
given  way  to  the  darker  complexion  and  lustrous  eyes  so 
common  in  Italy  The  language  has  undergone  a  complete 
change.     The    "  Wirthschaft,"    the    German    hotel,    is    here 

Trattoria."     The    railway    station,  a 


named    on    the    signs 


A  SWISS  VILLAGE. 


"  BaJmJiof  at  the  other  end  of  the  tunnel,  is  transformed 
into  a  "  Stazio7ie "  at  this.  The  German  merchant  who 
places  on  his  sign  ''  Handhiiig''  is  imitated  by  the  Italian, 
but  he  uses  the  word  "  NcgozioT  The  hillsides  are  now 
covered  with  vines  and  the  chestnut  trees,  literally  burdened 
with  ripening  nuts,  are  as  plentiful  as  in  our  o\\  n  AUeghe- 
nics  and  Blue  Ridge  mountains. 


ARIOLA    TO    LAKE    COMO.  97 

The  ride  from  Ariola  to  lake  Como  is  no  less  interest- 
ing than  that  from  Lucerne  to  Goeschen.  "  There  are  some 
more  loop  tunnels,  and  wonderful  bridges,  and  a  bewilder- 
ing succession  of  wild  bits  of  scenery,  with  feathery,  snow- 
white  cascades  leaping  from  the  summit  of  lofty  cliffs,  or 
bursting  forth  from  some  cranny  in  their  sides,  and  falling 
hundreds  of  feet  through  the  air;  brawling  glacial  torrents, 
hurrying  down  over  beds  of  boulders,  eager  to  reach  the 
distant  sea;  eyries  where  apparently  inaccessible  chalets 
are  perched;  fantastic  rocks,  seamed  and  split  by  long  for- 
gotten convulsions  of  nature;  endless  battlements,  and 
walls,  '  rock  ribbed  and  ancient  as  the  sun  ';  and  darting 
through,  over  beyond  them  all,  now  disappearing  into  a  tun- 
nel, now  leaping  a  chasm,  now  skirting  the  edge  of  a  preci- 
pice, the  glistening  steel  tracks  of  the  St.  Gothard  railway, 
which  has  conquered  this  wilderness,  and  transformed  its 
fastnesses  into  a  pleasure  ground  for  man."  So  writes  the 
poet.  But  the  railway  has  not  only  opened  a  pleasure 
ground  for  man,  but  a  roadway  as  well  for  the  commerce  of 
all  nations.  The  wondrous  skill  of  the  engineers  who  con- 
structed this  road  is  only  equaled,  but  not  surpassed,  by 
the  skill  of  our  own  engineers  in  crossing  the  Rockies  and 
building  railways  in  the  almost  inaccessible  canyons  of  the 
backbone  of  the  continent. 

Descending  still  farther  on  the  southern  side  of  the 
mountains,  the  valley  broadens,  the  rock-ribbed  walls  of  the 
Alps  are  left  far  behind,  and  we  roll  out  upon  the  rich  Lom- 
bardian  plain.  The  vine  and  the  mulberry  tree  flourish,  and 
here  and  there  are  small  fields  of  Indian  corn,  reminding 
one  very  forcibly  of  home.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening 
our  train  enters  the  electric  lighted  stazione  at  Milan,  and 
our  Alpine  journey  is  ended. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Tlic  Catlicdral  at  Milan  —  Leonardo  da  Vinci — The  Last  Supper  — 
RofHc  —  Kissing  the  Foot  of  St.  Peter —  Pompeii —  New  Discoveries 
—  An  Ancic7it  House  —  Corinth  —  Diogenes  the  Cynic — Paul  the 
Apostle  to  the  Gentiles  —  Athens —  The  Acropolis —  The  Market 
Place  —  i>jars'  L/ill —  Sunset  on  the  Acropolis — •  Costumes  of  the 
Athenians  —  A  Greek  Soldier  —  Maid  of  At  he  f is  —  A  Peculiar 
Custom. 

The  Milanese  regard  their  beautiful  cathedral  as  the 
eighth  wonder  of  the  world,  and  never  tire  of  sounding  its 
praises.  Having  seen  most  of  the  noted  cathedrals  in  Eu- 
rope, I  am  ready  to  admit  that  the  interior  is  exceeded  in 
magnificence  only  by  St.  Peter's  in  Rome,  and  that  the  ex- 
terior surpasses  all  others.  The  immense  structure  covers 
an  area  of  fourteen  thousand  square  yards,  and  it  is  esti- 
mated that  it  will  hold  thirteen  thousand  people.  The 
floor  is  laid  in  fine  marble  mosaic  work  of  different  colors 
and  presents  a  beautiful  appearance.  The  stained  glass 
windows  are  said  to  be  the  largest  in  the  world.  The  ex- 
terior is  a  magnificent  display  of  the  richest  architecture. 
The  roof  is  of  marble  and  is  surmounted  by  ninety-eight 
turrets.  More  than  two  thousand  marble  statues  adorn  the 
outside  of  the  building.  The  main  tower  is  three  hundred 
and  sixty  feet  high;  on  it  stands  a  marble  statue  of  the  Vir- 
gin Mary.  Each  of  the  turrets  also  bears  a  statue.  The  ef- 
fect of  the  exterior  is  beautiful  and  striking.  There  is  such 
a  bewildering  profusion  of  ornamentation  on  the  exterior 
that  it  would  require  a  volume  to  describe  it  all.  The  forest 
of  spires,  slender  and  graceful  in  shape,  the  immense  num- 

(.8) 


MILAN    CATHEDRAL. 


99 


bcr  of  marble  statues,  each  in  itself  a  fine  work  of  art,  and 
the  great  size  of  the   structure,   make    it   one  of  the  most 


noted  buildings  in  the  world. 


MILAN   CATHEDRAL. 


On  the  Lord's  Day  morning  we  attended  services  in  the 
cathedral,  which  is  Roman  Catholic  of  course.  There  were 
thousands  of  people  present  attending  mass.  The  music 
was  deeply  impressive.  The  great  organ  pealed  forth  its 
deep  notes,  and  hundreds  of  trained  voices  joined  in  the 
song  of  praise;  it  swelled  forth  filling  the  great  building 
with  joyous  harmony.  What  wonderful  singers  these  Ital- 
ians are! 

Here   we  witnessed  the  ceremony  of   the   baptism   or 


100  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

sprinkling  of  an  infant  by  a  priest  and  his  two  assistants. 
There  was  much  reading  and  bowing  and  making  of  long 
prayers.  The  infant  was  laid  on  a  richly  embroidered  pil- 
low held  on  the  arms  of  the  mother.  The  priest  now  read 
a  special  service,  and  at  the  proper  time  dipped  his  hand  in- 
to a  silver  vessel  filled  with  water  and  applied  it  to  the 
head  of  the  little  one.  This  he  did  three  times  in  succes- 
sion, and  the  ceremony  ended.  Formerly  the  rite  was  per- 
formed by  dipping  the  candidate  three  times  into  the  water, 
but  about  the  thirteenth  century  this  was  changed  by  the 
authority  of  the  pope  and  of  the  church,  and  sprinkling  is 
now  the  almost  universal  custom  among  Roman  Catholics. 

No  one  thinks  of  leaving  Milan  without  seeing  the 
celebrated  painting,  "  The  Last  Supper,"  by  Leonardo  da 
Vinci.  Indeed  many  make  the  journey  to  Milan  solely  for 
the  purpose  of  viewing  this  master  work  of  art.  Unfortu- 
nately the  picture  is  in  a  bad  state  of  preservation,  owing  to 
the  fact  that  it  was  painted  in  oil  on  the  wall  of  the  chapel. 
The  painter  sought  to  give  a  picture  of  the  last  supper  of 
Christ  with  the  twelve  at  the  moment  when  the  Lord  an- 
nounced the  startling  fact  that  one  of  them  should  betray 
him.  Of  the  painting  Goethe  says:  "The  painter  has  de- 
parted from  precedent  in  grouping  the  company  of  disci- 
ples, with  their  Master  in  the  midst,  along  the  far  side  anJ 
two  ends  of  a  long,  narrow  table,  and  in  leaving  the  near  or 
service  side  of  the  table  towards  the  spectator  free.  The 
cliamber  is  seen  in  a  perfectly  symmetrical  perspective,  its 
rear  wall  is  pierced  by  three  plain  openings  which  admit 
the  sense  of  quiet  distance  and  mystery  from  the  open 
landscape  beyond;  by  the  central  of  these  openings,  which 
is  in  the  midst  of  the  three,  the  head  and  shoulders  of  the 
Savior  are  framed  in.  On  his  right  and  left  are  ranged  the 
disciples  in  equal  numbers.     The  serenity  of  the  holy  com- 


Leonardo    da    Vinci. 


THE    CELEBRATED    PAINTING.  IO3 

pany  has  within  the  moment  been  broken  by  the  words  of 
their  Master,  '  One  of  you  shall  betray  me.'  In  the  agita- 
tion of  their  consciences  and  affections,  the  disciples  have 
started  into  groups  or  clusters  along  the  table,  some  stand- 
ing, some  still  remaining  seated.  There  are  four  of  these 
groups,  of  three  disciples  each,  and  each  group  is  har- 
moniously interlinked  by  some  natural  connecting  action 
with  the  next.  The  relations  of  the  groups  to  one  another, 
and  of  each  figure  within  the  several  groups  to  its  neighbor 
and  to  the  central  figure  of  Christ,  are  not  only  triumphs  of 
technical  design,  they  are  evidences  of  a  complete  science 
of  human  character,  emotion,  and  physiognomy  held  at  the 
service  of  a  nobly  inspired  and  nobly  directed  art.  The 
furniture  and  accessories  of  the  chamber,  very  simply  con- 
ceived, have  been  rendered  with  scrupulous  exactness  and 
distinctness;  yet  they  leave  to  the  human  and  dramatic  ele- 
ments the  absolute  mastery  of  the  scene.  Neither  do  the 
academical  draperies  of  the  personages  impair  the  sense  of 
imaginative  truth  with  which  the  representation  impresses 
us.  Our  first  glance  at  the  ruins  of  the  famous  picture 
makes  us  feel,  and  study  does  but  strengthen  the  convic- 
tion, that  the  painter  rose  to  the  height  of  his  argument, 
and  realized  worthily  and  for  good  this  momentous  scene  in 
the  spiritual  history  of  mankind." 

From  Milan  our  course  lay  southward  through  Italy, 
by  way  of  Genoa,  Rome,  and  Naples,  to  Brindisi,  where  we 
took  ship  for  Patras,  and  journeyed  thence  overland  by  way 
of  Corinth  to  Athens.  This  part  of  our  journey  has  been 
fully  described  in  a  preceding  volume,*  and  but  brief  refer- 
ence is  here  made  to  the  cities  named. 

A  week  at  Rome  was  none  too  long,  although  it  was 
my  third  visit  to  the  City  of  the  Caesars.     St.  Peter's,  the 
*"  Wanderings  in  Bible  Lands." 


104  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE, 

Coliseum,  tlie  Forum,  the  Catacombs  and  other  points  of 
absorbint;  interest  came  in  for  their  share  of  time.  The 
Trappist  monk  who  served  as  our  guide  through  the  cata- 
combs was  exceedingly  talkative.  He  seemed  to  be  deter- 
mined to  make  up  for  lost  time.  The  Trappists,  fearing 
they  may  not  be  able  to  bridle  their  tongues,  take  the  vow 
of  continual  silence,  and  they  are  supposed  to  go  through 
the  world  without  speaking  a  word.  The  pope  has  ab- 
solved a  dozen  of  the  monks  from  their  vow  s  of  everlasting 
silence  and  i)laced  them  in  charge  of  the  catacombs;  where 
they  act  as  guides  and  sell  relics  to  visitors.  I  asked  my 
guide  why  he  did  not  keep  his  vow  and  remain  silent.  His 
reply  was,  "  Et  is  neccessra  for  me  speaka,  so  I  guida  you 
in  catacomba."  He  pointed  out  many  things  of  interest  in 
the  sleeping  places  of  the  dead.  The  particularity  of  de- 
tail entered  into  b)-  the  ancients  is  shown  in  one  of  the  in- 
scriptions on  the  tomb  of  a  child.  The  name  and  date  of 
death  are  given,  and  then  the  age,  one  year,  three  months, 
twenty-three  days  and  six  and  a  half  hours. 

My  diary  says:  Sunday,  Sept.  15,  I  stand  beneath  the 
lofty  dome  of  St.  Peter's  in  the  city  of  Rome.  Near  by  is 
the  bronze  statue  of  the  apostle  for  whom  the  church  was 
named.  In  less  than  twenty  minutes  I  see  more  than  a 
hundred  people  kiss  the  foot  of  the  image.  Old  and  young, 
rich  and  poor,  learned  and  unlearned,  soldier  and  civilian, 
decrepit,  tottering  age  and  children  in  their  mothers'  arms 
reverently  bow  the  head,  and  kiss  the  bronze  foot.  An  old 
woman,  short  in  statue,  perhaps  eighty  years  old,  unable 
to  raise  herself  to  the  foot,  which  is  five  feet  from  the  floor, 
is  lifted  up  by  her  companions  that  she  may  press  her 
lips  against  the  cold  metal.  Half  grown  boys  and  girls, 
taking  hold  of  the  extended  foot  and  then  placing  their 
feet  on  an  offset   in  the  pedestal,  are  thus  enabled   to  reach 


pi 
w 

Ph 

H 

en 
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w 

X 


ST.    PETER  S    STATUE.  10/ 

the  coveted  kissing  place.  An  old  man  with  an  intelligent 
and  kindh-  face,  a  priest,  bows  his  head  kissing  the  foot  and 
then  placing  his  forehead  where  he  has  pressed  his  lips, 
stands  a  few  moments  in  silent  pra}-er.  A  group  of  nuns, 
waiting  until  the  priest  concludes  his  devotions,  press  their 
lips  to  each  of  the  toes,  offer  a  prayer  and  pass  on.  A 
richly  dressed  lady,  with  diamonds  flashing  on  her  neck  and 
fingers,  approaches  and,  taking  a  fine  cambric  kerchief, 
wipes  the  foot  carefully  and  then  kisses  it  lightly.  And  so 
the  devotees  come  and  go,  as  I  meditate  upon  this  phase  of 
worship  and  study  the  faces  as  they  go  b}'.  Some  are  jest- 
ing and  laughing,  and  it  is  evident  that  to  them  the  cere- 
mony is  a  mere  matter  of  form.  Then  there  are  those 
whose  faces  are  blank,  no  sign  of  feeling  or  emotion  is  man- 
ifest; and  these  form  the  larger  number  of  the  devotees. 
Others  still  pass  by  and  press  their  lips  to  the  foot  and 
bow  the  head  a  moment  in  silent  prayer,  and  their  faces  are 
so  full  of  earnest  devotion  that  one  is  forced  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  ihcy  believe  that  there  is  merit  in  this  act  of 
image  worship  and  that  it  meets  the  appro\'al  of  God. 

It  is  a  peculiar  phase  of  human  nature,  or  rather  of  the 
religious  side  of  man.  The  mind  clings  to  the  seen  and  the 
material,  and  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  recognizing  this 
tendency,  accommodates  it  by  introducing  image  worship. 
The  toes  of  the  bronze  image,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  accom- 
panying photogravure,  have  been  almost  wiped  and  kissed 
away  by  the  worshipers. 

Sept.  19:  To-da\'  I  revisit  the  excavated  cit\-  of  Pompeii, 
and  find  a  second  visit  to  the  ruins  as  full  of  interest  as  the 
first.  The  excavations  are  being  pushed  forward  with  much 
energy,  and  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  old  cit}'  is  now 
cleared  of  the  ashes  of  \  esuvius.  Before  many  }'ears  the 
work  of  excavating  will  be  completed  and  the  entire  citj-  be 


io8 


GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 


Open  to  visitors.  It  is  now  the  plan  of  those  having  charge 
of  the  work  of  excavating  to  restore  the  ruins,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, to  their  original  condition.  Heretofore  when  statuary 
and  other  objects  of  interest  were  found  they  were  at  once 
removed  to  the  museum  in  Naples.  In  some  instances 
mural  paintings  were  taken  from  tlie  walls  and  placed  in  the 


^ 


IN    THE    KUIXS    OF    FOMFEII. 


museum.  Now  when  a  house  is  uncovered  everything  that 
is  found  about  it  is  placed  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  place 
it  occupied  \\  hen  the  city  was  covered  up.  The  houses  are 
rcofed  and  such  portions  of  the  walls  as  were  broken  are 
rebuilt  in  exact  imitation  of  the  original,  so  that  one  may 
now  see  just  how  the  Romans  lived  m  the  middle  of  the 
first  century. 


HOUSE    OF    THE    VERTII.  Ill 

The  house  of  the  Vertii  recently  excavated  and  restored 
is  now  open  to  visitors.  The  courtyard  of  the  house  is 
laid  out  as  a  flower  garden,  in  which  bloom  all  the  year  the 
most  beautiful  flowers.  Round  about  are  columns  of  mar- 
ble, with  statues  of  bronze  and  marble  occupying  the  places 
where  they  were  found.  At  both  ends  of  the  court  arc 
fountains  with  artistic  basins  to  catch  the  flowing  water,  in 
place  as  they  were  on  that  fateful  day  when  the  eruption 
took  place.  The  rooms  are  decorated  with  frescoes,  and 
those  which  are  preserved  are  remarkable  for  their  beauty 
and  freshness  of  color.  The  floors  are  of  marble.  In  one  of 
the  rooms  were  found  two  treasure  chests  in  which  the  own- 
er of  the  house  kept  his  valuables.  These  were  empty 
when  found,  the  treasures  having  been  removed,  doubtless 
immediately  after  the  first  eruption,  either  by  the  owner  or 
by  thieves.  Then  there  are  bathrooms,  bedrooms,  living 
rooms  and  a  diningroom,  and  a  kitchen  with  a  pantry  con- 
taining a  sleeping  place  for  the  slave.  In  the  kitchen  were 
found  cooking  utensils;  on  the  hearth  were  iron  tripods 
for  holding  pots,  and  the  bronze  pots  were  near  at  hand. 
Everything  is  in  the  position  it  was  left  when  the  owners 
Rid.  The  Vertii  were  doubtless  a  very  wealthy  family,  for 
only  great  wealth  could  provide  and  keep  up  the  expenses 
of  such  a  house.  Here  we  have  a  house  restored  in  all 
its  original  beauty,  and  are  able  to  see  into  the  home  life  of 
the  Romans  in  the  days  of  Paul.  Other  houses  are  being 
excavated  and  restored,  giving  much  additional  interest  to 
a  visit  to  the  ancient  city  of  Pompeii. 

An  all-day  ride  over  a  rough,  dusty  railway,  in  dirty 
Italian  cars, — these  people  have  not  yet  learned  that  clean- 
liness is  akin  to  godliness, —  brought  us  to  the  ancient  sea- 
port town  of  Brundusium.  It  was  a  national  holiday  in 
Italy,  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  entry  of  Victor  Em- 


112  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

manuol  into  the  city  of  Rome.  Flags  were  flying,  bands  of 
music  playing,  fireworks  being  displayed,  and  all  the  coun- 
try was  aglow  with  enthusiasm  and  patriotism. 

It  was  in  the  night  when  we  reached  Brindisi,  tired,  dus- 
t}'  and  travel  stained.  The  Austrian  Lloyd's  steamer  "Me- 
dia "  came  into  port  soon  after  our  arrival.  At  midnight  we 
went  aboard,  sailing  the  same  hour  for  Greece.  The  sea  was 
calm  and  the  weather  pleasant,  and  we  enjoyed  the  change 
from  the  dusty  cars  to  a  clean,  cool  steamer.  After  a  very 
enjoyable  voyage  we  cast  anchor  at  noon  the  next  day  in 
the  beautiful  harbor  of  Corfu.  In  a  very  few  minutes  our 
ship  was  crowded  with  venders  of  fruit.  It  was  the  time  of 
grapes,  figs  and  pomegranates.  We  purchased,  for  a  few 
pennies,  great  bunches  of  large  white  grapes,  sweet,  and  of 
good  flavor;  but  the  best  of  them  are  not  equal  to  our  table 
grapes  at  home.  The  sweetness  palls  on  the  taste,  and  one 
soon  tires  of  them.  Ripe  figs,  fresh  from  the  trees,  are  rel- 
ished by  those  who  have  acquired  a  taste  for  them,  but  it 
takes  time  and  perseverance  to  cultivate  the  taste. 

The  evening  shades  were  approaching  when  the  anchor 
was  weighed  and  we  steamed  out  over  the  blue  waters  of 
the  beautiful  bay  of  Corfu.  Landing  the  next  morning 
at  Patras,  we  continued  our  journey  to  Athens  by  rail, 
passing  Corinth  on  the  way.  The  modern  City  of  New 
Corinth,  Nca  Korinthits,  contains  a  population  of  eight 
thousand  souls,  and  is  neatly  and  regularly  laid  out.  It 
was  founded  forty  years  ago  when  the  town  on  the  site 
of  ancient  Corinth,  three  and  a  half  miles  away,  was  com- 
pletely destroyed  by  an  earthquake.  A  carriage  road  has 
been  constructed  to  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  city,  and  many 
travelers  visit  the  place.  Corinth,  in  ancient  times,  was  a 
city  of  great  importance  and  power,  and  was  noted  for 
its  great  wealth  and  the    sensuality  and  wickedness   of  its 


< 


O 
P-, 

O 


X 


ANCIENT    CORINTH.  II5 

people.  Here  lived  the  cynical  philosopher  Diogenes, 
whose  dwelling  was  a  tub.  He  it  was  who  failed  to  find  an 
honest  man  in  Corinth,  although  he  searched  diligently  day 
and  night  with  a  lighted  lantern.  During  the  search  a 
friend  met  him  in  broad  daylight  with  his  lighted  lantern 
and  said,  "What  are  you  looking  for,  Diogenes?"  "An 
honest  man,"  was  the  curt  reply  of  the  cynic,  as  he  con- 
tinued his  fruitless  search.  Rollin  tells  of  a  visit  of  Alex- 
ander the  Great  to  Diogenes.  The  philosopher  was  at  the 
time  lying  down  in  the  sun.  When  the  conqueror  ap- 
proached he  sat  up  and  eyed  the  great  warrior  intently. 
Alexander,  seeing  the  poverty  of  the  man,  was  moved  to 
pity,  saluted  him  kindly  and  inquired  whether  he  could  do 
anything  for  him.  At  the  time  the  king's  shadow  fell  upon 
the  philosopher,  and  he  replied,  "  Yes!  stand  out  of  my 
sunlight."* 

But  ancient  Corinth  is  more  especially  interesting  to  us 
because  there  came  to  this  important  city  of  Greece  a 
greater  conqueror  than  Alexander, — the  apostle  to  the  gen- 
tiles, Paul  of  Tarsus.  Here  he  preached  the  Gospel  and 
organized  a  church  out  of  the  most  unpromising  material. 
He  tells  us  that  among  its  members  were  former  outcasts, 
adulterers,  fornicators,  sodomites,  idolaters,  thieves,  drunk- 
ards, extortioners,  revilers,  and  slanderers.f  The  darkened 
characters  he  declared  were  washed,  were  sanctified,  were 
justified;  "  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the  spirit 
of  our  God."  At  Corinth  the  apostle  spent  many  months 
preaching  in  the  synagogues  and  holding  converse  with 
Aquila  and  Priscilla.  From  Corinth  he  wrote  the  two 
epistles  to  the  Thessalonians,  and  the  church  at  this  place 
had  his  deepest  anxiety  and  thoughtful  care.     The  tempta- 


♦Rollin's  "  Ancient  History,"  Vol.  II,  p.  7, 
■\i  Cor.  6:9-11. 


Il6  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

tions  to  sensual  indulgence  and  to  departures  from  the  truth 
were  stronger  here  than  in  most  Greek  cities.  His  epistles 
to  the  Corinthians  are  full  of  warnings  to  the  church.  After 
the  death  of  Paul,  Clement  was  made  bishop  of  the  church. 

Our  stay  of  three  da\-s  in  Athens  was  none  the  less  in- 
teresting because  of  former  visits.  One  never  sees  all  nor 
learns  all  about  these  old  cities  on  a  first  or  second  visit. 
There  is  a  strange  fascination  about  these  ancient  Bible 
cities  that  draws  one  toward  them.  One  never  tires  of  trac- 
ing the  associations  in  touch  with  the  Bible,  visiting  the 
places  recorded  in  the  Book  and  reading  the  incidents  con- 
nected with  them.  Those  interested  in  the  study  of  God's 
Book  might  visit  Athens  a  dozen  times  and  always  be  inter- 
ested in  going  to  the  market  place  where  Paul  disputed 
with  the  Jews,  and  to  ]Mars'  Hill,  where  he  preached  to  the 
court  of  the  Areopagites.  To  stand  where  Paul  stood,  in 
market  place  or  on  hilltop,  and  read  his  words  where 
they  were  spoken,  is  a  privilege  which  once  enjoyed  is  never 
to  be  forgotten.  It  gives  a  wonderful  reality  to  the  Bible  to 
read  it  under  such  circumstances;  especially  when  there  are 
about  you  so  many  evidences  of  the  truth  of  the  Book. 

The  old  market  place,  with  the  four  slender  Doric 
columns  bearing  the  heavy  architecture  of  the  gateway 
through  which  Paul  must  have  passed,  remains  unchanged. 
The  columns  form  three  entrances.  The  center  passages 
used  for  carriages  is  eleven  and  a  quarter  feet  wide;  those 
for  foot  passengers  at  the  sides  are  only  four  and  three- 
fourths  feet  wide.  Inside  of  the  gate  stands  a  long  tablet 
with  an  inscription  in  Greek  relating  to  the  price  of  com- 
modities offered  for  sale  in  the  market  place. 

Mars'  Hill  and  the  Acropolis  are  close  together,  and 
both  are  places  of  absorbing  interest.  When  Paul  stood  on 
the  hilltop  and  spoke  to  the  Areopagites  the  Acropolis  was 


Gateway    to    Market    Place. 


MAKS      HILL. 


119 


crowned    with    many    magnificent    temples,    culminating   in 
the  Parthenon,  the  most  perfect  monument  of  Grecian  art, 


MARKET    PLACE.    ATHENS. 


and  the  glor)-  not  only  of  Athens  but  of  the  Ivastern  world. 
South  of  liars'   Hill  the  Apostle  had  a  view  of  the  temple 


120  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

of  Theseus,  which  stands  to-da)'  the  best  preserved  of  all 
the  old  temples,  not  only  of  Athens  but  of  the  whole  of 
ancient  Greece.  Not  far  away  was  the  market  place  with 
its  temples  and  altars  erected  for  the  worship  of  the  false 
gods  of  the  Greeks.  Then  there  was  the  altar  bearing  the 
inscription  "  To  tJie  Unk/ioiv?i  God,''  which  Paul  used  so 
vigorously  on  that  memorable  day,  and  with  such  telling 
effect  that  at  least  one  member  of  the  court  —  Dionysius — 
was  converted  to  Christianity.  Our  photogravure  gives  a 
view  from  a  point  north  of  and  above  Mars'  Hill.  The  ar- 
tist stood  on  the  rising  ground  of  the  Acropolis.  In  the 
distance  "  Moreas'  Hills  "  bound  the  view.  To  the  right  is 
the  temple  of  Theseus  with  houses  suburban  to  Athens, 
while  Mars'  Hill  occupies  the  center  of  the  foreground.  A 
close  study  of  the  picture  will  reveal  the  steep  cut  in  the 
rock  by  which  the  ascent  to  the  top  of  the  rocky  bluff  was 
and  is  still  made.  A  heavy  growth  of  aloes  fringing  the 
base  of  the  Acropolis  is  shown  in  the  picture.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  interesting  views  in  Athens. 

We  spent  an  evening  on  Mars'  Hill,  and  enjoyed  one  of 
those  mar\elous  sunsets  so  graphically  described  by  Byron. 
As  the  sun  neared  the  horizon  I  left  my  companions  and 
climbed  to  the  top  of  the  Acropolis  and  stood  on  the  plat- 
form of  the  Parthenon.  The  sky  was  marvelously  clear, 
and  as  the  sun  sank  behind  the  Delphian  cliff  I  recallec 
these  lines  of  the  author  of  Childe  Harold: 

Slow  sinks,  more  lovely  ere  his  race  be  run. 

Along  Moreas'  Hills  the  setting  sun; 

Not,  as  in  northern  climes,  obscurely  bright. 

But  one  unclouded  blaze  of  living  light! 

O'er  the  hush'd  deep  the  yellow  beam  he  throws, 

Gilds  the  green  wave,  that  trembles  as  it  glows. 

On  old  Aegina's  rock  and  Idra's  isle. 

The  God  of  gladness  sheds  his  parting  smile; 


C/J 

w 

H 

< 


en 

< 


MODERN    ATHENS.  123 

O'er  his  own  regions  lingering,  loves  to  shine, 
Though  there  his  altars  are  no  more  divine. 
Descending  fast  the  mountain  shadows  kiss 
Thy  glorious  gulf,  unconquer'd  Salamis! 
Their  azure  arches  through  the  long  expanse 
More  deeply  purpled  meet  his  mellowing  glance, 
And  tenderest  tints,  along  their  summits  driven, 
Mark  his  gay  course,  and  own  the  hues  of  heaven; 
Till  darkly  shaded  from  the  land  and  deep 
Behind  his  Delphian  cliff  he  sinks  to  sleep. 

One  cannot  full\'  appreciate  the  descriptive  beauty  of 
these  lines  unless  he  stands  where  the  poet  stood,  when  the 
inspiration  to  write  came  to  him,  and  witnesses  with  him 
one  of  these  glorious  sunsets.  There  was  a  wondrous  play 
of  light  and  shadow  among  the  ruins  as  the  last  rays  of  the 
sun  fell  on  the  grand  old  columns  of  the  Parthenon.  I 
came  down  from  the  Parthenon  as  the  shades  of  evening 
shut  out  the  view  of  Moreas'  Hills.  All  that  is  left  me  now 
of  that  glorious  sunset  is  a  memory;  but  it  will  not  depart. 

Modern  Athens  has  a  freshness  and  cleanliness  about 
it  not  common  to  Eastern  cities.  I  refer  of  course  to  the 
better  part  of  the  place,  where  broad  streets  and  beautiful 
residences,  many  of  them  built  of  marble,  adorn  the  city. 
Here  everything  is  new  and  fresh.  The  new  palace,  with  a 
new  king  from  Denmark,  the  new  residences,  new  university 
buildings,  and  new  streets  laid  out  with  great  regularity 
give  the  new  city  an  air  of  freshness  and  newness  in  strong 
contrast  with  the  ruins,  yellow  with  age,  standing  as  per- 
petual reminders  to  the  Athenians  that  their  town  is  very 
new  indeed.  The  Parthenon,  built  by  Pericles  five  hundred 
years  before  Christ,  in  contrast,  for  age,  with  the  Royal  Pal- 
ace constructed  in  the  middle  of  the  present  century, — 
could  contrast  be  stronger? 

On  the  crown  of  a  gentle  slope.  In  the  center  of  the 
city,    stands  the    king's  palace,   a  building  of   considerable 


IJ4  (ilKDLINc;    THE    GLOBE. 

proportions  and  of  beautiful  exterior.  It  is  built  of  the 
noted  Pentelican  marble  and  in  the  full  sunlight  is  dazzling 
in  its  whiteness.  Surrounding  the  palace  on  three  sides  are 
beautiful  gardens  and  extensive  grounds,  finely  shaded  with 
semi-tropical  trees,  among  which  the  eucalyptus  and  the 
pepper  tree  abound.  The  front  of  the  building  opens  upon 
a  very  large  square,  ornamented  with  high,  umbrageous 
trees.  Along  the  sides  of  the  square  stand  many  beautiful 
buildings,  and  here  are  also  found  most  of  the  first-class 
hotels.  Leading  out  from  the  square  are  several  fine  boule- 
vards, with  rows  of  shade  trees  and  magnificent  marble  resi- 
dences that  excel  even  those  of  aristocratic  Paris  and  Lon- 
don. On  one  of  these  beautiful  streets  are  to  be  found  the 
Schliemann  Museum  and  the  new  college  buildings.  The 
material  used  in  construction  is  the  purest  white  marble,  cut 
from  the  ancient  Pentelican  quarries,  noted  alike  in  ancient 
and  modern  times.  The  architecture  is  somewhat  modern- 
ized, but  I  notice  that  the  Corinthian,  the  Doric  and  the 
Ionic  columns  hold  their  place,  as  they  did  on  the  Acropo- 
lis twenty-three  hundred  years  ago,  in  the  golden  age  of 
Greece,  when  Phidias  fashioned  and  Pericles  builded  what 
has  since  been  the  marvel  of  all  ages. 

Driving  about  the  palace,  the  square  and  the  streets  of 
the  newer  portions  of  modern  Athens  one  sees  marble  ev- 
erywhere and  is  struck  with  the  beauty  of  the  cit\-.  Seeing 
only  this  much  of  the  place  we  would  carry  away  the  notion 
that  modern  Athens  is  the  gem  of  Attica,  beautiful  for  situ- 
ation and  magnificent  in  appearance.  But  on  the  borders 
of  this  marble  city,  and  clinging  to  it  as  a  hideous  ulcer  on 
a  beautiful  face,  is  the  older  Athens,  built  when  the  crescent 
waved  over  the  Acropolis  and  the  rule  of  the  sultan  was  su- 
preme. Here  are  the  narrow,  filthy  streets,  with  rows  of 
bazaars  on  both  sides  that  remind  one  of  oriental  scenes  in 


C/1 

Z 

w 

X 
< 


z 
o 
z 

u 

X 
H 
Pi 
< 
P-. 

X 

h 


SHOPS    IN    ATHENS. 


127 


Cairo  and  Damascus.     Here  are  the  cheap  "oinio,"  or  wine 
shops  and  cafes,  where,  I  am  told,  a  quart  of  Greek  wine, 


SHOP    IN    ATHENS. 


fiery  and  resinous,  may  be  bought  for  six  cents.  Penetrat- 
ing farther  into  the  purlieus  of  Athens,  one  finds  the  streets 
narrower  and  more  filthy  still.     Poorly  paved,  with  open 


128  GIRDLIXr;    TIIF.    CLOBE. 

drainage  in  the  center,  tlie  stench  becomes  almost  unbear- 
able. In  the  open  passageways  men  and  women,  donkeys, 
dogs,  children  and  goats  jostle  each  other  in  passing,  and 
one  must  have  a  care  lest  he  be  crowded  into  the  filthy  gut- 
ter in  the  middle  of  the  street.  The  whole  aspect  of  this 
squalid  quarter  of  Athens  is  tluit  of  an  ov^cr-crowded,  filthy 
Turkish  village.  In  its  relation  to  new  Athens,  it  is  as  if 
one  who  had  a  beautiful  home  and  a  well  kept  lawn  should 
construct  a  pigpen  in  one  corner  of  his  }'ard.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  the  modern  spirit  of  energy  and  enterprise  now 
apparent  in  Greece  will  soon  change  this  condition  of 
things. 

The  men  one  meets  on  the  streets  of  Athens  are  well 
built,  fine  looking,  carry  themselves  erect  and  impress  one 
with  their  bearing  and  carriage.  They  are,  I  am  told,  kind 
and  coiirteovis  to  strangers,  warm-hearted  and  generous  in 
their  intercourse  with  each  other,  and  may  be  classed  as  the 
peers  of  any  European  people.  The  young  men  among  the 
educated  class  speak  one,  and  sometimes  two  languages  in 
addition  to  their  own,  the  French  standing  first  and  Italian 
and  English  coming  next  in  choice. 

The  Athenian  matron  is  a  comel>-,  well  dressed,  not 
gaudy  woman  who  impresses  you,  when  }'ou  meet  her,  with 
a  sense  of  culture  and  refinement.  The  maidens  are  mod- 
estly reserved,  with  clear-cut,  refined  features,  large,  dark, 
languishing  eyes  and  are,  by  judges  of  the  human  form  di- 
vine, classed  among  the  lovely.  One  is  not  surprised  that  a 
man  of  Byron's  susceptibilities  should  have  fallen  hopeless- 
ly in  love  with  a  fair  maid  of  Athens. 

The  ancient  Albanian  costume  is  still  much  worn  in 
Athens  by  the  men.  This  peculiar  and  picturesque  style  of 
dress  consists  of  a  deep  plaited  white  muslin  skirt,  confined 
closely  about  the  waist  with  a  belt  and  standing  out  from 


Greek   Girl. 


I  1 


WINE,  VAT.  131 

the  hips  like  the  skirt  of  a  ballet  L,nrl.  The  lower  limbs, 
from  the  hips  down,  aie  incased  in  closely  fitting  white 
trunk  hose.  On  the  feet  are  worn  ornamental  curved  slip- 
pers, or  shoes,  made  of  red  leather,  with  rosettes  and  tas- 
sels. The  upper  part  of  the  body  is  covered  with  richly 
embroidered  shirt  and  vest.  Add  to  this  the  jaiuit}'  red  cap 
with  tassel,  and  }-ou  have  the  complete  Albanian  costume. 
So  popular  is  it  in  Greece  that  eight  battalions  of  the  Greek 
army  wear  it  as  a  uniform.  The  costume  is  constantly  seen 
on  the  streets  of  Athens,  and  is  a  source  of  much  curiosity 
to  strangers. 

Just  now  the  streets  of  Athens  present  a  lively  appear- 
ance. It  is  in  the  time  of  grapes  and  the  vintage  of  wine. 
Everywhere  you  meet  the  vender  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine, 
wounding  the  quiet  air  with  his  loud,  discordant  cries,  call- 
ing attention  to  the  luscious  fruit  he  has  to  sell.  He  uses 
the  patient  donkey  as  his  beast  of  burden.  Six  baskets  are 
tied  together  in  pairs  and  slung  across  the  back  of  the  little 
animal,  three  on  each  side.  These  are  tastefully  decorated 
with  branches  of  the  vine  and  olive,  and  are  then  filled  with 
the  largest  and  finest  bunches  of  the  sweetest  grapes  I  ever 
tasted.  A  pair  of  scales  is  added,  and  the  peripatetic  grape 
merchant  is  ready  for  business.  For  ten  Septra,  two  cents 
in  our  coin,  but  much  less  in  the  depreciated  copper  coin  of 
Greece,  you  may  have  grapes  and  grapes. 

In  many  parts  of  the  country  the  ancient  method  of 
treading  the  wine  vat  is  still  in  use.  The  ripe  fruit  is 
thrown  into  the  vat  and  barefooted,  barelegged  men  tread 
the  grapes  until  the  entire  mass  is  reduced  to  pulp  and 
juice.  The  new  wine  is  put  into  new  bottles,  and  in  the  sea- 
son great  numbers  of  wine  carts  are  to  be  seen  in  Athens 
Now  their  number  is  legion.  Each  one  is  loaded  with  a 
dozen  wine  skins,  and  each  skin  bottle  holds  ten  to  twelve 


132  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

gallons  of  the  juice  of  the  grape.  Both  skins  and  w  ine  are 
new,  and  the  former  must  be.  The  new-made  wine  is  still 
fermenting  and  has  expanded  until  t-ach  indixidual  bottle  is 
stretched  as  tight  as  a  drumhead.  Old  bottles  would  sure- 
ly burst  and  both  "wine  and  bottles  perish." 

One  of  the  peculiar  customs  noticeable  in  Athens  is 
that  of  taking  the  body  of  the  dead  in  solemn  procession 
through  the  principal  streets  of  the  city.  I  witnessed  one 
of  these  lying-in-state  processions,  and  the  impression  made 
upon  the  mind  was  by  no  means  a  pleasant  one.  A  govern- 
ment official  of  high  position  had  finished  his  work  and 
gone  to  his  long  home,  and  a  great  military  and  civic  pa- 
rade was  made  in  honor  of  the  dead  officer,  his  body  beiner 
the  central  object  in  the  procession.  First  came  a  band  of 
music  wounding  the  unoffending  air  with  blaie  of  trumpets 
and  pounding  of  drums.  Following  the  band  came  not- 
ables of  the  government  in  carriages  and  a  battalion  of  sol- 
diers in  full  dress  uniform,  and  then  the  mortal  remains  of 
the  dead.  The  body  was  placed  in  a  sitting  posture  on  a 
chair  and  had  the  appearance  of  having  been  carefully 
dressed  for  an  evening  party.  Just  in  front  of  the  face  of 
the  dead  man  was  arranged  a  mirror  in  which  his  features 
were  reflected,  presumably  for  the  benefit  of  those  who 
walked  in  the  rear.  The  head  and  face  were  uncovered, 
and  the  people  on  the  streets,  who  cared  to  look,  could 
have  a  full  view  of  the  dead  man.  The  face  had  a  natural, 
life-like  appearance,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  slight  pal- 
lor of  death  and  the  immobility  of  the  features,  one  might 
have  concluded  that  he  had  fallen  asleep  in  his  chair,  as  he 
was  being  carried  through  the  city  which  delighted  to  hon- 
or him.  The  procession  moved  slowly  to  the  time  of  a  sol- 
emn funeral  march.  After  the  passing  of  the  corpse,  which 
v;as  shocking  to  my  sensibilities,  I  reflected  that  this,  after 


A   Greek    Soldier. 


FUNERALS.  135 

all,  was  only  a  different  way  of  doing  the  same  thing  that  is 
done  at  home.  If  a  man  or  woman  of  note  dies,  the  body 
is  arranged  carefully,  with  all  the  skill  of  the  undertaker's 
art,  laid  in  state  in  some  large  church  or  hall,  and  the  mass- 
es pass  through  to  look  at  the  body  of  the  dead.  The  dead 
of  lesser  note  are  exposed  to  view  in  our  churches  until  the 
entire  congregation  passes  in  review  and  takes  a  last  look 
at  the  body.  Some  come  out  of  idle  curiosity,  others  out  of 
respect,  and  the  few  out  of  love.  The  Athenians  deem  it 
best  to  take  the  dead  in  state  through  the  city,  thus  accom- 
modating the  great  mass  of  the  people.  After  all,  their 
way  may  be  the  best.  It  were  better  if  there  were  less 
pomp  and  show^  at  funerals,  less  money  spent  for  costly 
processions,  less  care  for  the  dead  and  more  for  the  living. 

"  Imperial  Caesar  dead  and  turned  to  clay, 
Might  stop  a  hole  to  keep  the  wind  away; 
O,  that  that  earth  which  kept  the  world  in  awe 
Should  patch  a  wall  to  expel  the  winter's  flaw!" 

Let  the  dust  be  laid  decently  away,  without  show  and 
parade,  and  turn  ye  to  the  wants  of  living  souls  who  are 
without  Christ  and  God  in  the  world. 


CHAPTER  V. 


Athens  to  Smyj-iia —  Tlic  "  Unspeakable  Tuik  "  ■ —  T/ie  Massacre  of  the 
Ariiieniatis — An  yi<^af>e  or  Love  Feast  m  Smyrna  —  Amission 
li^orh  —  Fellow  Pilgrh/is  —  The  City  of  Figs  —  Hotv  Figs  are 
Packed  —  A  Trial  of  Patietice  —  Sailing  for  the  Holy  Land  — 
Beirut  —  An  Evening  Sail  Along  the  Coast  of  Tyre  and  Sidon  — 
The  Mountaitts  of  Lebanon  —  Mount  Carniel —  Ihe  Prophef  s  Test 
—  Atfaffa. 

A  SHORT  vo}age  of  twenty-four  hours  brought  us  from 
Athens  to  Sni)rna.  Short  as  the  voyage  was,  the  change 
from  well-governed  Europe  to  the  loose,  irresponsible  gov- 
ernment of  the  "  unspeakable  Turk  "  in  Asia  Minor,  was  as 
great  as  if  we  had  journe\cd  halfway  around  the  earth. 
The  change  was  neither  to  our  liking  nor  advantage.  The 
custom-house  ofificcrs  examined  our  baggage  with  evident 
suspicion,  and  although  our  passports  were  properly  visaed 
by  the  Turkish  consul  at  New  York,  the}'  relieved  us  of  all 
our  books  and  papers,  including  our  Bibles,  before  permit- 
ting us  to  go  to  our  hotel.  We  learned  b)-  later  experience 
the  truth  of  what  we  had  heard  from  travelers,  that  it  re- 
quires patience,  time  and  mone}-  to  recover  from  Turkish 
officials  what  has  been  wrongfully  taken  from  )'ou.  It 
might  have  been  as  well  to  pay  the  money  out  in  the  first 
place  and  save  ourselves  annoyance,  but  our  part}'  did  not 
take  kindly  to  bribery. 

Bro.  G.  J.  Fercken,  in  charge  of  our  missions  in  Asia 
Minor,  met  us  on  board  the  steamer  and  gave  us  a  most 
cordial  and  hearty  welcome  to  Smyrna.     It  was  pleasant  to 

meet  our  brother  and  encourage  him  in  his  good  work.     He 

(136) 


< 

'A 


•Si 


a«. 


s^.  ■ 


RUMORS    OF    WAR.  1 39 

had  secured  comfortable  rooms  for  our  party  at  Hotel  des 
Londres,  not  one  of  the  most  pretentious  houses  in  the  city, 
but  one  among  the  best.  We  found  the  service  excellent 
and  had  pleasant  quarters  during  our  sta\'  in  the  Cit}'  of 
Figs. 

While  we  remained  at  Smyrna  the  air  was  full  of  rumors 
of  war.  The  poor  Armenians  were  being  slaughtered  by 
the  thousand,  and  we  were  at  best  a  little  uncomfortable  as 
to  results  in  Smyrna.  When  the  terrible  massacre  at  Con- 
stantinople took  place  there  was  much  excitement  as  the 
magnitude  of  the  slaughter  became  known.  The  American 
and  European  residents  were  not  a  little  relieved  by  the 
presence  of  several  warships  in  close  proximity.  The  pa- 
pers from  the  outside  world,  which  escaped  the  censorship 
of  the  Turks,  brought  news  of  the  proposed  action  of  the 
powers  of  Europe  to  put  a  stop  to  the  barbarous  cruelt}'  of 
the  Moslems;  but  it  never  came  to  an}'thing.  The  selfish- 
ness of  the  powers  was  too  great  for  their  philanthropy.  If 
the  sultan's  empire  be  dismembered,  how  shall  it  be  shared 
b}'  the  powers?  This  question  overshadowed  all  else.  The 
Armenian  Christians  were  left  to  be  massacred  while  the 
diplomats  fought  battles  of  words  and  shed  gallons  of  ink 
to  maintain  the  balance  of  power  in  Europe.  In  the  mean- 
time the  wily  Turk,  the  most  accomplished  diplomat  in  the 
world,  came  out  of  the  contest  with  flying  colors,  attesting 
his  victory  over  all  Europe. 

Our  sta}'  at  Smyrna  was  made  doubly  pleasant  by  the 
enjoyment  of  special  religious  services.  In  a  quiet  upper 
room  in  our  hotel,  provided  for  us  by  the  kindness  of  the 
proprietor,  we  met  on  the  Lord's  Da}',  Sept.  29,  to  hold  an 
agape  or  feast  of  love.  Doubtless  it  was  the  first  apostolic 
love  feast  held  in  Smyrna,  the  site  of  one  of  the  Seven 
Churches  of  Asia,  since  the  time  when  a  church  council  as- 


140  GIRDLING    THE    GI.ORE. 

sumed  authority  to  set  aside  the  feast  that  had  been  author- 
ized by  Christ  and  instituted  b)-  the  apostles  themselves. 
The  place,  and  the  associations  connected  with  it,  made  the 
feast  one  of  peculiar  significance  and  of  special  enjoyment 
to  those  who  were  permitted  to  enjoy  it.  Here  it  was, 
without  much  doubt,  that  St.  Paul  i)reached  the  Gospel  and 
laid  the  foundation  for  the  afterwards  prosperous  and  faith- 
ful church  of  Smyrna.  It  was  to  the  church  at  Smyrna  that 
the  Seer  of  Patmos  wrote  by  the  direction  of  the  Spirit,  "  I 
know^  thy  works,  and  tribulation,  and  poverty,  but  thou  art 
rich."  It  was  here  that  the  saintly  Polycarp,  the  first  bish- 
op of  the  church,  labored  for  the  flock,  over  which  the 
Holy  Ghost  had  made  him  overseer,  and  kept  the  feast  of 
love  as  well  as  all  the  other  ordinances  of  God  as  they  had 
been  delivered  to  him;  for  the  good  bishop  had  sat  at  the 
feet  of  John  the  Beloved  and  was  taught  by  him  the  Gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ.  Here  it  was,  too,  that  when  he  had  passed 
fourscore  \ears  he  was  bound  to  the  stake  and,  rejoicing 
that  he  was  counted  worthy  to  suffer  for  Christ's  sake, 
burned  to  death. 

To  hold  a  primitive  love  feast  at-  such  a  place,  with 
such  surroundings,  was  felt  to  be  indeed  a  blessed,  God- 
given  privilege  b}-  all  who  were  permitted  to  enjoy  it. 
Brother  and  Sister  Fercken,  with  brethren  H.  B.  Brum- 
baugh, W.  L.  Bingaman,  T.  T.  Myers,  and  the  writer  and 
wife — our  band  of  pilgrims — composed  the  number  who  sat 
down  at  the  table  of  the  Lord.  We  were  seven,  two  sisters 
and  five  brethren,  and  we  feel  sure  that  no  one  of  those  who 
enjoyed  the  feast  at  Smyrna,  with  the  rich  spiritual  blessing 
attending  it,  will  ever  forget  it.  The  reading  of  the  Script- 
ure, the  observance  of  the  ordinances,  the  speaking,  the 
song  service,  and  the  fervent  prayer  of  faith  were  all  won- 
derfully blessed  of  God.     Several   Greeks  were  present  as 


HOSTILE    FEELINGS.  I4I 

spectators.  Each  with  a  New  Testament  in  hand,  they  fol- 
lowed very  closely  and  with  much  interest  the  order  of  ex- 
ercises. In  their  own  tongue,  which  he  used  fluently, 
Brother  Fercken  also  full}'  explained  the  ordinances  ob- 
served. They  were  deeply  impressed,  and  one  of  them 
said,  "  This  is  surely  all  in  harmony  with  the  teaching  of 
Christ." 

At  the  time  of  the  feast  Brother  Fercken  was  ordained 
to  the  bishopric,  so  that  he  might  be  fully  equipped  for  the 
work  which  the  church  had  placed  upon  him.  Brother  and 
Sister  Fercken  desire  an  interest  in  the  prayers  of  God's 
people.  Only  those  who  have  experienced  it  can  know 
what  it  means  to  leave  home  and  friends  and  settle,  as  our 
missionaries  do,  in  strange  lands  among  strange  people. 
The  yearning  for  home  and  friends,  the  discouragements 
that  come  from  isolation  and  the  lack  of  social  intercourse 
make  the  burden  a  heavy  one  to  be  borne.  Our  mission- 
aries need  our  prayers,  our  sympathy  and  our  active  help 
and  aid  in  the  important  work  they  have  to  do. 

Just  now  Brother  Fercken  is  much  hindered  in  his  work 
by  the  hostility  of  the  Turkish  government.  This  has  been 
aroused  by  the  Armenian  troubles  and  b}'  the  action  taken 
by  the  three  great  powers  of  Europe  in  insisting  upon  re- 
forms. Owing  to  a  mass  of  misinformation  which  has  been 
poured  into  the  ears  of  the  officials  of  the  sultan's  govern- 
ment by  those  who  are  opposed  to  Protestant  missions,  they 
are  led  to  believe  that  the  American  missionaries  are  re- 
sponsible for  all  their  troubles.  They  are  told  that  the 
American  missionaries  teach  and  incite  revolt  and  rebellion 
on  the  part  of  their  subjects,  hence  the  feeling  just  now  is 
strong  against  us.  An  effort  may  even  be  made  to  "close 
some   of  the   American   missions  and  schools.     When  the 


142  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

Turks  once  learn  that  we  teach  the  people  to  live  in  peace 
and  not  ^o  to  war,  there  will  be  a  chanj^^e  in  sentiment. 

Another  cause  that  operates  against  the  American 
Protestants  is,  as  we  were  told  by  a  prominent  American 
who  has  his  home  in  Smyrna,  "the  bad  specimens  they  send 
out."  The  name  of  Christianity  suffers  here,  as  well  as  it 
does  at  home,  by  the  nominal  professor. 

Brother  Fercken  has  now  rented  a  house  and  in  a  few 
weeks  will  be  living  in  his  own  "  hired  house,"  where  he  can 
meet  those  who  come  for  religious  instruction.  The  loca- 
tion was  not  hastily  chosen;  and,  as  much  of  the  future  suc- 
cess of  the  work  depends  upon  where  the  start  is  made,  our 
missionary  acted  wisely  in  deferring  this  until  he  had  an 
opportunit}'  to  study  the  situation  thoroughly.  Some  dififi- 
culty  was  also  experienced  from  the  fact  that  those  who 
have  houses  to  let  insist  that  no  religious  services  be  held  in 
them.  The  place  secured  is  in  the  Armenian  quarter  of  the 
city,  among  the  oppressed,  and  the  foregoing  conditions  are 
not  exacted. 

We  are  hopeful  for  the  future,  but  must  not  expect  too 
much  at  first.  Our  missionary  is  well  qualified  for  the 
work,  speaking  five  languages.  The  more  we  learn  to 
know  of  him  and  of  his  self-sacrificing  spirit,  his  zeal  and 
earnestness,  his  devotion  to  the  cause,  and  his  ability  to 
meet  the  people  and  speak  to  them  in  their  own  tongue,  the 
more  we  feel  that  the  Lord  has  raised  him  up  for  this  work. 
But  it  will  take  time,  and  failure  may  come.  Paul  did  not 
succeed  in  every  city  he  entered. 

The  cost  of  the  mission  w  ill  also  be  considerable.  The 
conditions  here  are  so  entirely  different  from  what  they  are 
at  home.  If  it  were  possible  for  our  missionary  to  live  as 
the  native  Turks  do,  the  expenses  would  be  much  less,  but 
this  is  simply  impossible;  and  if  it  were  possible  and  the  at- 


BROTHER    FERCKEN'S    WORK.  I43 

tempt  were  made  the  mission  might  as  well  be  given  up. 
To  explain  all  this  fully  would  require  much  space.  When 
we  deal  with  the  oriental  mind  we  have  to  meet  a  mental 
organization  quite  different  from  the  one  at  home.  In 
order  to  Christianize  these  people  they  must  be  raised  to  a 
higher  plane  of  living  and  thinking.  To  do  this  they  must 
be  lifted  up,  and  the  lifting  power  must  be  above  them, — 
not  on  their  own  level  or  below  them.  The  missionary 
must  live  above  them,  ami  bring  them  u\)  to  his  plane. 
Let  us  not  be  discouraged,  then,  if  it  docs  take  some  of  our 
money  to  reestablish  primitive  Christianity  in  the  East, 
where  it  first  saw  the  light.  Let  us  not  forget  our  mission- 
aries, for  persecution  is  nigh  unto  them. 

Brother  Fercken  is  doing  a  quiet  work,  and  already 
some  are  much  interested  in  the  Truth,  He  \\ill  do  what 
he  can  to  teach  the  people  without  arousing  opposition. 
We  do  not  believe  in  converting  people  with  the  sword  or 
at  the  mouth  of  the  cannon.  The  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is 
a  gospel  of  peace  on  earth  and  good  will  to  man,  and  the 
ministers  of  the  Gospel  should  be  men  of  peace.  If  the- 
world  is  ever  converted  to  the  religion  of  Jesus  it  will  be 
done  only  when  his  professed  disciples  follow  after  those 
things  which  make  for  peace,  and  live  up  to  their  profes- 
sion. The  swords  must  be  beaten  into  plowshares  and  the 
spears  into  pruning  hooks,  and  the  law  of  the  Lord  be 
written  in  the  heart  and  made  manifest  in  the  life  before  the 
world  can  be  conquered  for  Christ. 

In  a  previous  work*  I  have  given  an  extended  descrip- 
tion of  the  sites  of  the  seven  churches  of  Asia,  the  subject  of 
so  much  anxious  care  to  the  beloved  disciple  and  apostle 
John.  To  him  came  the  wonderful  vision  at  Patmos  in 
which  there  were  given  him,  from  the  Son  of  God,  special 

*"  Seven  Churches  of  Asia," 


144 


GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 


messages  of  warning  and  encouragement  to  these  impor- 
tant centers  of  the  Christian  religion  in  Asia  Minor.  While 
Smyrna  loses  none  of  its  interest  by  a  repeated  visit,  I  shall 
give  only  a  brief  account  of  our  stay,  reserving  space  for 
other  cities  and  countries  visited  on  our  tour  around  the 
world. 


?!t,-' 


OUR   PILGRIMS   AT  SMYRNA. 


Our  fellow  pilgrims  made  a  number  of  excursions 
around  the  city,  and  spent  one  day  among  the  interesting 
ruins  of  Ephesus.  They  mounted  donkeys  and  rode  to  the 
top  of  the  Acropolis  (see  photogravure),  where  an  old  tradi- 
tion says  was  located  the  Apocalyptic  church.  Not  far 
away,  beneath  the  shade  of  a  little  grove  of  cypress  trees,  is 


CITY    OF    FIGS. 


M? 


pointed  out    the  tomb    of  the  good   bishop   Polycarp,   who 
cared  for  the  church  at  Smyrna  for  many  years,  and  then 


as 


TOMB    OF    PULVCAKP. 


a   reward  for   his    faithfulness    was    permitted    to    wear    a 
martyr's  crown.     He  was  burned  at  the  stake,  in  the  streets 


146  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

of  Smyrna,  in  his  eij;hty-fifth  year,  about  the  middle  of  the 
second  century. 

Smyrna  is  the  city  of  figs,  being  by  far  the  largest 
market  for  this  kind  of  fruit  in  the  world.  The  best  figs 
l<no\\n  to  the  trade  are  grown  in  Asia  Minor,  and  the  pull- 
ing, pressing  and  packing  of  figs  forms  one  of  the  principal 
industries  of  the  people.  During  the  season  thousands  find 
employment  in  the  packing  houses.  IMany  varieties  of  figs 
are  grown  in  Asia  Minor,  ranging  in  color,  when  ripe,  from 
deep  purple  to  yellow  or  nearly  white.  The  trees  bear  two 
crops  a  }-ear.  The  crop  produced  by  the  buds  formed  in 
the  winter  ripens  in  the  beginning  of  summer,  and  the 
other,  which  forms  the  principal  harvest,  late  in  the  au- 
tumn. Man}-  of  the  figs  of  the  earlier  crop  do  not  mature, 
but  drop  off.  These  are  the  "  untimel)'  "  figs  of  the  Bible. 
"  Even  as  a  fig  tree  casteth  her  untimely  figs  when  she  is 
shaken  of  a  might)'  wind."* 

When  ripe  the  figs  are  picked  and  dried  in  the  sun. 
The  large  quantitx-  of  grape  sugar  which  the\-  contain  pre- 
serves them,  and  the  only  additional  process  after  drying  is 
pulling  and  packing.  The  fruit  grower,  after  the  dr}ing 
process  has  been  completed,  puts  them  into  large  sacks  and 
takes  his  crop  to  Sm)  rna,  usuall)-  on  the  back  of  camels. 
It  is  an  interesting  sight  to  see  a  camel  train  laden  with  figs 
passing  through  the  streets.  The  fruit  is  sold  to  the  pack- 
ers, and  is  thrown  on  the  floor  in  large  rooms.  When  the 
packing  begins  the  figs  are  sorted  b\'  women  and  girls. 
Three  grades  are  made — small,  medium  and  large.  The 
small  figs  are  packed  in  baskets  and  sacks  and  are  the 
cheapest  grade.  The  medium  and  large  grades  are  packed 
in  boxes.  The  work  is  all  done  b}-  hand.  A  vessel  con- 
taining salt  water  is  placed  at  the  side  of  the   packer,  into 

*Rev.  6:  13. 


PACKING    FIGS,  1 47 

which  he  dips  his  fingers  frcquentl\-  as  lie  pulls  and  presses 
the  figs  into  the  proper  shape.  The  salt  water  prevents  thi' 
sugar  and  gummy  substance  from  adhering  to  the  fingers. 
After  being  properly  manipulated  the  figs  are  placed  in 
boxes  in  la\ers.  The  top  layer  is  pressed  quite  flat.  Both 
the  fingers  and  the  teeth  are  used  to  give  the  proper  shape 
to  the  figs.  I  watched  the  packing  process  for  some  time. 
When  the  packer  finds  a  fig  dr\'  and  hard,  and  has  difficul- 
ty in  shaping  it  with  his  fingers,  he  places  it  between  his 
teeth  and  gives  it  the  rec]uired  pressing.  I  confess  that 
after  witnessing  the  manipulation  of  the  figs  b\-  the  packers 
I  concluded  that  I  did  not  care  for  the  fruit  of  which  I 
have  alwa}s  eaten  with  great  relish.  W'iien  we  left,  the 
proprietor,  one  of  the  largest  fig  merchants  in  Smyrna, 
handed  my  wife  a  box  containing  six  pounds  of  the  best 
figs,  branded  "  Elemi."  the  highest  quality  known  to  the 
trade.  The  figs  were  opened  in  India,  three  months  later, 
and  were  relished  as  of  old.  It  is  strange  how  soon  we  for- 
get temporarx'  impressions  and  fall  back  into  our  old  ways 
Before  leaving  Smxrna  a  determined  effort  was  made 
to  recover  our  books.  We  had  been  negotiating  for  several 
da\s  with  the  Turks  for  the  return  of  our  stolen  property  . 
We  used  the  hotel  dragoman  and  interpreter  as  a  means  of 
communication  with  the  Moslem  ofificials.  After  each  in- 
terview we  were  told  that  on  the  morrow  the  books  would 
be  returned  without  fail.  He  that  trusteth  in  the  word  of  a 
Turk  shall  surely  come  to  naught.  Promise  after  promise 
was  made,  but  the  hooks  came  not.  Had  it  not  been  for 
the  loss  of  our  Bibles  the  matter  would  have  been  carried 
no  further.  We  could  not  think  of  leaving  these  behind, 
and  an  api^lication  was  made  to  Col.  Madden,  the  American 
Consul.  He  said:  "  We  shall  get  those  books  to-day,"  and 
we  got  them.     The  Consul   detailed  his  cavassc   and    drago- 


148 


GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 


man  to  assist  us  in  findinir  our  property.  The  search  began 
at  once,  and  in  good  earnest.  We  were  sent  from  office  to 
office,  until  we  had  called  upon  some  twenty  officials.  We 
were  finall)'  sent  to  the  censor,  whose  dut}'  it  is  to  examine 
all  books  and  papers  brought  into  Smyrna  by  Christian  in- 
fidels.    In  his  office  we  were  informed  that  we  might  look 


LUNCH    IN    THE    TEMPLE    OF    DIANA    AT    EFHESUS. 


around  and  find  our  belongings.  In  a  pile  on  the  floor  we 
recognized  most  of  our  books  and  papers,  and  we  finally 
found  all  but  one  of  them.  This  was  a  copy  of  bishop 
Newman's  work  on  Palestine.  The  censor  pointed  out  the 
objectionable  paragraph  in  which  the  bishop  makes  some 
strictures  on  Mohammed.  The  book  was  destroyed,  and 
Brother  Myers  was   the    loser.     After   placing   the   official 


BEIRUT.  149 

seal  of  Abdul  Hamid  on  each  of  the  books,  to  show  that 
they  had  been  passed  upon  by  the  censor,  we  were  allowed 
to  take  them  away.  It  is  said  that  every  experience  that 
comes  to  us  in  this  life  ma}'  be  of  som^e  use  to  us.  This 
may  be  true,  but  I  have  \'et  to  learn  what  good  is  to  come 
out  of  this  experience  with  the  Turks,  unless  it  be  the  good 
that  results  from  having  one's  patience  tried. 

On  the  second  day  of  October,  the  "  Cleopatra,"  one  of 
the  best  ships  on  the  Austrian  Lloyd's,  steamed  into  the 
harbor.  Some  months  before  we  had  engaged  passage  for 
Jaffa  on  this  ship,  and  here  she  was  on  time.  After  having 
a  farewell  meeting  with  our  missionaries  and  commending 
them  and  ourselves  to  the  grace  of  God,  we  went  on  board 
the  ship  and  in  the  evening  sailed  away  for  the  Hoi)-  Land. 
At  Smyrna  Rev.  Dr.  Grismer,  of  the  M.  E.  church,  who  had 
'been  with  us  at  Athens,  joined  us  again  and  became  a  mem- 
ber of  our  party  for  the  tour  of  the  Holy  Land.  Day  after 
da}'  and  night  after  night  we  sailed  awa}'  over  the  blue 
waters  of  the  sea.  There  were  no  storms,  no  swelling 
waves,  no  seasickness;  it  was  in  every  respect  a  perfect  sea 
voyage.  We  cast  anchor  for  a  few  hours  at  Rhodes,  and 
sailed  by  Cyprus,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  fourth  da}-  put 
into  the  harbor  of  Beirut. 

M}-  journal  under  date  of  Oct.  6  sa}s:  We  parted  with 
our  traveling  companions  at  Beirut.  We  had  enjoyed  a 
most  delightful  sea  vo}'age  together  from  Sm}rna.  A 
gentle  breeze,  soft  and  balm}-,  made  the  warm  October 
days  delightfully  pleasant.  The  sea,  on  its  good  behavior, 
was  smooth  and  calm,  and  its  waters  blue  as  only  the 
"great  sea"  is  blue.  A  bright,  clear  sky,  with  the  full 
moon  making  night  ashamed  of  its  darkness,  added  ma- 
terially to  the  pleasure  of  the  journey.  I  set  it  down  in  my 
notebook  as  one  of  the  most  delightful  sea  vo}ages  I  ever 


150  (.1  Kl»l.l.\(.     IIIK    (.I.OliK. 

enjoyed.  On  Satiirdaw  Oct.  ;,  wc  cast  anchor  at  the  Ijase 
ol  Lebanon.  l''arl\-  on  tlie  Lord's  Da\-  niorninL;"  brethren 
Brumbaui^h,  Bin<,faman,  Myers  and  Grisnier  hit  us  to  jto  to 
Damascus  by  the  new  railway,  and  thence  to  Jerusalem  in 
ten  (n-  twelve  daxs  on  horseback,  while  we, — wife  and  I, — 
were  to  $2^0  on  by  sea  to  Jaffa,  and  thence  to  Jerusalem, 
where  we  again  met  our  companions  two  weeks  later. 

At  two  o'clock  P.  M.  we  steamed  oat  of  the  harbor  at 
Beirut  and  took  our  course  southward  along  the  Syrian 
coast.  Westward  the  horizon  was  bounded  by  the  waters  of 
the  Mediterranean.  The  fine  weather  continued,  and  the 
sea  was  literally  as  smooth  as  glass.  We  congratulated 
ourselves  that  we  were  to  have  a  pleasant  afternoon  sailing 
along  the  western  border  of  the  Hoh-  Land,  and  upon  the 
prospect  of  a  smooth  landing  at  Jaffa  on  the  morrow.  East 
of  us  the  Lebanon  mountains  were  in  full  \iew;  once  the 
pride  of  S\ria,  now  brown  and  bare.  The  cedar  and  the  fir 
have  been  cut  down,  and  the  "  glor\'  of  Lebanon  "  has  de- 
parted. As  we  skirted  the  foot  of  the  mountain  range  we 
had  ample  time  to  look  up  and  meditate  upon  the  Bible  as- 
sociations connected  w  ith   Lebanon. 

Yonder  on  the  tlat  beach,  which  was  so  close  to  us  that 
it  seemed  that  we  might  almost  throw  a  stone  to  the  shore, 
may  have  been  the  very  spot  to  which  Hiram's  woodmen 
brought  the  hewn  cedar  and  fir  trees,  making  a  veritable 
logging  camp  of  the  place  until  the  floats  were  made  and 
the  costly  timber  was  sent  by  sea  to  Jaffa,  where  it  was  de- 
livered to  king  Solomon's  workmen.  In  full  sight  of  the 
supposed  logging  camp  was  the  ancient  city  of  Sidon.  And 
force  is  given  to  the  statement  that  the  camp  w  as  located 
in  this   neighborhood,   from   the  fact  that  there   were  none 


CITY    CJi'    TVRE.  151 

among^  all   the  people  in  all  the  land  that  could  "  skill  to 
hew  timber  like  unto  the  Sidonians."* 

Along  the  shores  of  ancient  Phcenicia  we  sailed,  and  so 
close,  too,  that  the  shore  line  was  plainl\-  visible  to  the 
naked  e}e.  JVIodern  Sidon,  closely  and  compactly  built, 
presents  a  pleasing,''  sis^ht  from  the  sea.  Her  groves  of  mul- 
berr\-  trees,  and  gardens  of  oranges,  lemons,  pomegranates, 
apricots,  bananas  and  palms  are  in  striking  contrast  with 
the  oppressive  barrenness  all  along  the  coast.  These  gar- 
dens are  the  pride  of  Sidon.  The  silk  industry  flourishes, 
and  the  little  cit\-,  with  fifteen  thousand  souls,  is  fairly  pros- 
perous. The  ancient  name  Zidonf  and  the  New  Test^.ment 
name  Sidon  are  still  preserved.  Here  Paul  landed  when  on 
his  wa\-  to  Rome  as  a  prisoner,  and  went  "unto  his  friends 
to  refresh  himself,";];  a  positive  evidence  that  Christianit\' 
had  been  introduced  at  Sidon  at  a  very  earl}-  period. 

Just  as  the  sun  touched  the  watery  horizon  we  sighted 
the  island  and  mainland  on  which,  at  one  time,  stood  the 
mighty  cit}-  of  T\re,  the  proud  mistress  of  the  sea.  If  )-ou 
would  like  an  accurate  description  of  her  wealth  and  great- 
ness, read  carefull\-  the  thirty-seventh  chapter  of  Ezekiel. 
Follow  this  with  the  reading  of  the  thirt}-si.xth  and  thirt\- 
eighth  chapters  of  the  same  prophec}-  and  learn  the  fate  of 
the  proud  cit}',  and  know  that  the  prophecy  has  been  liter- 
all)-  fulfilled.  There  is  not  in  all  the  East  a  more  remark- 
able fulfillment  of  prophecy  than  that  connected  with  this 
very  cit}-  of  T}-re.  The  dust  has  been  literall}-  scraped  from 
her  and  she  has  become  "like  the  top  of  a  rock."  And  this 
ver}-  da}-  it  is  "a  place  for  the  spreading  of  nets  in  the 
midst  of  the  sea."     The  histor}-  of  the  place,  from  the  da}'s 

*  I  Kings  5:  6. 

tGen.  49:  13;  .\cts  12:  20. 

t  Acts  27:  3- 


152  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

of  Ezekicl  until  it  became  a  iniscral)lc  fishers'  villa,<:^e,  com- 
posed of  a  few  poor  hovels,  is  full  of  interest.  It  was  a 
struggle  against  prophecy,  for  the  Lord  had  said,  "I  am 
against  thee,  O  Tyrus."  The  modern  town  has  a  popula- 
tion of  some  four  or  five  thousand  souls.  The  streets  are 
narrow,  dirty  and  miserable,  and  the  houses  dilapidated. 
The  inhabitants  are  poor,  and  many  of  them  subsist  by   fish- 


ing. 


While  we  look  at  Tyre  the  sun  sinks  into  the  sea; 

"Not  as  in  northern  climes  obscurely  bright, 
But  one  unclouded  blaze  of  living  light." 

Sunsets  at  sea  have  often  been  described  b}'  poets  and 
prose  writers,  but  descriptions  only  feebly  portray  the  glo- 
ries of  the  god  of  day,  as  he  sinks  to  rest  in  the  v/aves  of  the 
sea.  As  the  twilight  fades  awa}-,  and  darkness  comes  down 
upon  land  and  deep,  the  moon,  full-orbed,  mounts  upward 
from  the  heights  of  Hermon  and  floods  hill  and  plain  with 
her  silver  light.  She  shines  in  full  brightness  upon  the  por- 
tion of  Dan,  and  not  far  from  us  the  site  of  the  ancient  city 
of  Lachish,  so  terribly  punished  by  the  Ninevites,  catches 
her  beams.  And  there,  dimly  shining  across  the  sea,  are 
the  lights  of  the  village  Ptolemais,  where  Paul  landed  and 
saluted  the  brethren,  abiding  with  them  one  da}',  before  go- 
ing on  his  fatal  journey  to  the  city  of  Jerusalem.* 

Together  we  sit  on  the  deck  and  enjoy  the  beauties  of 
the  night.  We  can  plainly  see  every  indentation  of  the 
shore  line,  and  the  hills  are  brought  out  bold  and  clear  in 
the  bright  moonlight.  And  now  we  have  Mt.  Carmel  be- 
fore us,  boldly  jutting  out  into  the  sea.  Every  outline  of 
the  mount  of  the  prophets  is  clearly  cut  on  the  horizon. 
Our  steamer  headed  for  the  shore,  where  the  lights  revealed 

*  Acts  21:  7. 


C^SAREA.  153 

the  site  of  Caifa,  the  seaport  of  Nazareth.  In  an  incrcdi- 
bl}'  short  time  the  steamer  was  surrounded  b)'  a  howling, 
yelling  mob  of  Arab  boatmen.  With  cat-like  agility  they 
climbed  up  the  sides  of  the  ship  and  solicited  passengers  to 
go  ashore.  It  was  a  scene  of  wild,  noisy  confusion,  wit- 
nessed not  on!}'  here  at  Caifa,  but  at  all  these  eastern  ports 
where  the  ships  cast  anchor  lialf  a  mile  from  the  shore,  and 
passengers  are  landed  by  mean.s  of  the  small  boats  pro- 
pelled by  Arab  boatmen.  Caifa  is  an  interesting  spot. 
Fifteen  miles  away,  in  a  straight  line,  is  Nazareth  and  the 
Sea  of  Galilee.  Here  the  brook  Kishon  empties  into  the 
sea,  as  it  has  ever  since  the  da\-  its  waters  ran  red  with  the 
blood  of  the  prophets  of  Baal,  slain  by  the  zeal  of  the 
prophet  of  the  true  God  after  their  signal  failure  at  Carmel. 
The  light  on  the  hill,  shining  above  the  brightness  of  the 
moon,  marks  the  site  of  the  convent  of  the  monks,  the  tra- 
ditional spot  of  the  great  test  between  Elijah  and  the  Baal- 
ites.  On  the  edge  of  the  cliff  stood  the  servant  of  the 
prophet  looking  out  upon  the  blazing  heavens  for  the  first 
sign  of  the  cloud  that  was  soon  to  appear,  no  larger  than  a 
man's  hand  at  first,  but  to  grow  rapidly  until  all  the  heavens 
were  overcast  with  dark  clouds  and  the  rain  came  down  in 
torrents,  and  the  three  years'  drought  was  broken.  Here 
the  prophet  Elisha  dwelt  when  the  Shunammite  woman 
came  to  him  in  heartbroken  haste,  for  the  boy  she  loved  so 
well  la)'  dead  in  the  little  room  at  Shunem.  All  these  and 
many  more  Bible  associations  came  to  mind  as  we  lay 
anchored  in  the  silvery  moonlight  at  the  foot  of  Mt.  Car- 
mel. 

Southward  again  our  ship  toolv:  her  course  and  passed 
by  Caesarea,  whither  Peter,  nothing  doubting,  came  from 
Jaffa  and  gave  to  the  Gentiles  the  wonderful  message  from 
the   Son  of   God.     Here,  too,   Paul  was  brought  a  prisoner 


1  51  (.IKI)I.I.\(.     1  UK    (.LOliK. 

{yom  jciusalcni.  Here  he  was  tried,  and  appealed  to  Cctsar, 
and  then  made  bV'lix  tremble  and  Agrippa  hear  the  Word 
of  Truth  1)\-  the  power  of  the  Hol\'  Ghost.  And  so  we 
sailed  on,  and  nature  demanded  rest  and  repose.  We  went 
below  to  our  comfortable  rooms,  and  sleep,  blessed  sleep, 
shut  out  all  the  world.  We  were  awakened  b\'  the  rattling- 
chains  of  the  droppino-  anchor  and  the  swashini^"  of  the 
waves  ai>ainst  the  sides  of  the  ship,  and  we  knew  that  we 
were  at  Jaffa. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Landing  at  Jaffa  —  A  Rough  Sea  — ■  Dangerous  Landing  —  Our  Eb- 
enezer  —  Railways  in  Palestine —  The  Threshing  Floor —  Unmuz- 
zled Oxen  —  His  Fan  is  in  His  Hand — The  Gleaners  —  Lydda  — 
The  Effendi  and  his  Wives  —  The  Leprosy — ■  Beth-shejnesh  and  the 
Ark  of  the  Covenant  —  Birthplace  of  Samson  —  IVhited  Sepulchres 
—  Farm  Life  itt  Palestine — The  Ownership  of  the  Land — Cast- 
ing Lots  —  The  Lines  are  Fallett  to  me  in  Pleasant  Places  —  The 
Tax  Gatherer. 

■  Our  awakening  at  Jaffa  dispelled  all  hopes  of  the 
smooth  landing  which  we  had  reason  to  expect  when  we 
went  below  the  evening  before.  The  sound  of  the  waves 
as  they  broke  against  the  sides  of  the  ship  was  ominous,  and 
when  we  went  on  deck  and  saw  how  the  small  boats  that 
were  coming  from  the  shore  were  tossed  by  the  waves  we 
said,  "  The  sea  at  Jaffa  keeps  up  its  old-time,  Jonah-like 
reputation."  By  tlie  time  we  were  ready  to  go  ashore  the 
sea  was  quite  rough  enough  to  set  sensitive  nerves  in  a 
tremble. 

It  was  the  fifth  time  we  had  landed  and  embarked  at 
Jaffa,  and  we  took  some  comfort  in  the  fact  that  the  sea 
was  not  quite  so  rough  as  it  was  twelve  years  ago  when  we 
landed  here  the  first  time,  or  as  when  Brother  Lahman  was 
with  us  two  years  ago  last  March.  Our  old  dragoman, 
Bernard  Heilpern,  who  traveled  with  us  through  Palestine, 
was  among  the  first  to  come  aboard  the  ship,  and  he  gave 
us  a  hearty  welcome  to  the  Holy  Land  again.  Many  of 
our  readers  will  no  doubt  recall  the  account  we  gave  of  the 

brave  Arab  boatman,  SuUeimann,  when   we   were   here  be- 

(137) 


158  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

fore, — how  he  saved  a  large  number  of  lives  and  was  after- 
wards, through  envy,  cast  into  prison.  They  will  rejoice 
with  us  to  know  that  the  brave  fellow  has  regained  his 
liberty  and  is  in  charge  of  his  boat  again. 

With  the  usual  amount  of  noise  and  confusion, — for 
the  Arab  does  nothing  without  confusion  and  noise,  wheth- 
er it  be  the  changing  of  a  half  piaster  or  the  landing  of  a 
boatload  of  passengers, — our  trunks  and  grips  were  taken 
down  and  placed  in  the  boat  at  the  imminent  risk,  we 
thought,  of  being  thrown  into  the  sea;  but  they. were  safely 
stowed  away.  Then  we  went  down  the  swinging,  stair-like 
ladder,  waiting  at  the  foot  luitil  the  boat  came  up  on  a  ris- 
ing wave,  and  then,  somehow  or  other,  we  found  ourselves 
seated  in  the  stern.  We  both  needed  and  used  the  strong 
arms  of  the  Arab  boatmen  to  help  us  to  a  seat.  Tossed 
about  b\'  the  troubled  sea,  the  spra}-  fl}'ing  at  times  over 
the  prow  of  the  boat,  we  were  at  last  carried  on  the  crest 
of  a  wave  through  the  narrow  opening  in  the  rocks  into 
c  dm  water,  and  were  soon  safe  on  shore. 

A  few  days  after  we  landed,  Mv.  RoUa  Flo\d,  an  Amer- 
ican who  has  lived  in  Palestine  about  thirt\'  years  and  taken 
many  tourists  through  the  country,  had  taken  a  part}-  of 
travelers  to  a  ship,  and,  in  trying  to  regain  the  shore,  the 
sea  being  very  rough,  the  boat  was  thrown  on  the  rocks  and 
broken  to  pieces.  Mr.  Floyd  was  badly  injured,  but  was 
rescued  from  drowning  b\'  the  boatmen,  who  are  all  good 
swimmers.  Over  against  our  rough  landing  should  be 
placed  the  smooth  sea  when  we  embarked  for  P^g)-pt  on  oiu- 
way  to  India,  Oct.  1 1,  1895.  For  once  we  enjoyed  a  smooth 
sea  at  Jaffa,  and  are  happy  to  record  the  fact  in  these 
gleanings. 

Here  at  Jaffa,  twelve  years  ago,  we  raised  an  Ebenezer. 
And  now  again,  as  twice  before,  we  knelt  down  and  reverent- 


RAILWAYS  IN    PALESTINE.  I  59 

ly  thanked  God  for  his  wonderful  goodness  to  us.  We  said, 
"  Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  us,"  and  surely  wc  may 
trust  him  for  all  that  is  to  come  to  us;  whether  it  be  pros- 
perity or  adversity,  sickness  or  health,  life  or  death,  all  will 
be  well,  for  his  mercy  endureth  forever. 

The  changes  which  have  taken  place  in  Palestine  since 
we  visited  it  the  first  time  are  many  and  marked.  This  is 
true  not  only  of  Jaffa,  but  of  Jerusalem,  and  man)'  other 
places,  as  well.  Indeed,  the  old  Palestine  with  its  ancient 
Bible  customs  is  rapidly  passing  away,  and  before  many 
more  years  shall  come  and  go  the  Holy  Land  will  be 
modernized.  One  of  the  important  factors  in  these  changes 
is  the  introduction  of  the  railway.  Already  two  lines  are  in 
operation, — one  from  Jaffa  to  Jerusalem,  and  the  other 
from  Beirut  to  Damascus, — while  a  third  has  been  partiall\' 
constructed  from  Caifa,  at  the  foot  of  Carniel,  to  Nazareth. 
When  the  contemplated  lines  are  completed,  Jerusalem  will 
be  in  direct  railway  communication  with  Damascus.  As 
these  changes  take  place,  Palestine  loses  more  and  more  its 
chief  charm.  This  is  to  be  regretted  in  one  way,  yet  it 
brings  joy  to  the  Christian  heart  when  he  remembers  that 
all  these  changes  are  in  the  line  of  the  fulfillment  of 
prophecy;  and  in  these  are  to  be  found  evidences  that  the 
coming  of  the  Lord  is  near  at  hand.  Even  now  we  may 
"learn  a  parable  of  the  fig  tree;  when  its  branch  is  }-ct  ten- 
der, and  putteth  forth  leaves,  ye  know  thac  the  summer  is 
nigh." 

The  chief  means  of  conveyance  between  Jaffa  and  Je- 
rusalem, in  years  gone  by,  were  horses,  camels  and  donkeys. 
Then  a  guard  of  soldiers  was  necessary,  for  the  road  was  in- 
fested with  robbers,  and  many  a  pilgrim  was  stripped  and 
left  wounded  by  the  way.  Later  a  wagon  road  was  con- 
structed, and  the  journey  of  forty-one  miles  could  be  made 


l60  GIRDLING    THE    GI  QBE. 

with  some  degree  of  comfort.  Now  .ill  this  is  changed. 
You  take  \our  scat  in  comfortable  cars  at  Jaffa,  drawn  by 
American  locomotives,  and  arc  whirled  over  the  plain  of 
Sharon,  across  the  valley  of  Ajalon  and  up  the  hills  of 
Judea,  and  in  four  hours  )-ou  have  traveled  the  entire 
length  of  the  railway,  fift\--two  miles,  and  are  in  Jerusalem. 
Leaving  Jaffa  the  road  crosses  the  plain  of  Sharon,  now 
brown  and  sere,  for  no  rain  has  fallen  for  six  or  seven 
months.  We  notice  a  number  of  village  threshing  floors  as 
we  pass  along.  The  oxen  move  lazily  around  the  floor 
treading  out  the  grain.  The  farmer  with  his  fork  manipu- 
lates the  mass,  and  the  tramping  process  continues  until  the 
straw  is  broken  quite  fine.  The  oxen,  we  observe,  are  un- 
muzzled and  help  themselves  to  the  grain  when  the\'  will. 
The  Scriptural  injunction,  "  Thou  shalt  not  muzzle  the  ox 
that  treadeth  out  the  corn,"  still  holds  among  most  of  the 
farmers  in  Palestine.  There  are  enough  exceptions  to  the 
rule  to  give  the  Scripture  force.  Some  farmers  there  are 
who  are  mean  enough  to  muzzle  the  ox  so  that  he  may  eat 
none  of  the  corn.  It  is  remarkable  that  these  "old  customs 
continue  so  long.  I  suppose  that  in  the  da)s  of  Abraham 
the  threshing  floor  was  used  in  Palestine  as  it  is  to-day. 
Our  photogravure,  taken  especially  for  this  work,  gives  us 
a  good  view  of  the  threshing  floor,  with  the  oxen  treading 
out  the  corn  and  the  farmer  with  his  fork  superintending 
the  work.  When  the  threshing  is  completed  the  farmer 
comes  with  his  fan  (shovel)  in  his  hand,  thoroughly  cleans 
his  floor  and  gathers  his  wheat  into  his  garner,  burning  the 
chaff,  which  is  not  only  useless  to  the  farmer  but  hurtful  as 
well,  as  it  contains  the  seeds  of  the  tares  and  other  noxious 
weeds.  One  is  reminded  of  the  words  of  John  the  Baptist 
when  he  says  of  Jesus,  "  He  th*ht  cometh  after  me  is  might- 
ier than  I,  whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  bear.  .  .  Whose 


C/3 


LYDDA.  163 

fan  is  in  his  hand,  and  he  will  thorough])-  purge  his  floor, 
and  gather  his  wheat  into  the  garner;  but  he  will  burn  up 
the  chaff  with  unquenchable  fire.."* 

Here  is  another  threshing  floor.  It  is  close  by  the  way- 
side and  very  small,  not  large  enough  for  oxen.  It  is  where 
the  gleaners  have  threshed  their  scanty  store.  They  have 
toiled  all  the  long  day  in  gleaning  the  fallen  heads  and  even 
the  single  grains  of  wheat  that  have  been  shattered  out. 
There  is  but  little  left  in  the  field  for  them,  for  there  are  no 
generous  hearted  Boazes  in  Palestine  to-day.  As  soon  as 
the  last  sheaf  is  gathered,  the  field  is  free  for  the  gleaners, 
and  as  in  the  day  of  Boaz  and  Ruth,  so  now  the  gleaners 
gather  up  what  is  left  by  the  reapers. 

The  train  now  stops  at  Lydda,  the  first  station  after ' 
leaving  Jaffa.  The  place  is  noted  for  its  large  olive  or- 
chards, the  finest  in  Palestine.  Here  it  was  that  Peter 
healed  the  palsy-stricken  ^neas,  and  was  then  called  in 
great  haste  to  comfort  saints  at  Jaffa  who  were  in  deep 
mourning  on  account  of  the  death  of  Dorcas. 

At  Lydda  a  Turkish  Effendi  (an  officer  of  rank) 
brought  his  harem,  or  family,  on  board  the  cars.  There 
were  four  wives  and  a  number  of  small  children.  The 
women  were  all  closely  veiled  and  were  after  much  confu- 
sion placed  in  a  compartment  designed  for  them.  The 
car  is  divided  into  four  compartments,  opening  into  each 
other  by  doors,  and  through  the  center  there  is  an  aisle. 
We  were  seated  in  the  compartment  next  to  that  occupied 
by  the  ladies  of  the  harem.  When  the  conductor  came 
through  for  the  tickets  he  gave  a  signal  by  pounding  on  the 
door  with  his  ticket  punch.  After  waiting  a  few  moments 
he  opened  the  door  to  pass  through,  when  there  was  a  gen- 
eral scream  among  the  Turkish  women,  and  the  door  was 

*  Matt.  3:  II,  12. 


l64  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

closed  with  much  violence.  The  women  had  uncovered 
their  faces  and  felt  greatly  outraged  to  be  seen  by  the  con- 
ductor; he  was  compelled  to  wait  in  our  compartment  un- 
til the  women  had  adjusted  their  veils,  and  was  then  admit- 
ted. Ibrahim,  the  husband,  to  whom  we  were  introduced 
by  Mr.  Heilpern,  sat  in  the  compartment  with  his  male 
friends  and  spent  the  time  in  smoking. 

Leaving  Lydda,  the  road  passes  by  Gezer,  which  still 
retains  its  ancient  name.  It  was  a  wedding  present  to  king 
Solomon's  Egyptian  wife  from  her  father.*  She  brought 
the  wise  king  not  only  many  rich  presents,  but  idolatry  as 
well,  and  was  the  primary  cause  of  his  fall  and  the  loss  of 
the  kingdom  to  his  family.  Both  before  and  since  the  days 
of  Solomon  men  and  women  have  been  led  into  sin  by  be- 
ing unequally  yoked  together  with  unbelievers. 

We  are  now  at  the  village  of  Ramleh,  the  traditional 
home  of  the  rich  counselor,  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  who 
begged  the  body  of  Jesus.  Here  in  1884  we  saw  the 
dread  disease  of  leprosy  for  the  first  time.  Since  then  we 
have  seen  hundreds  of  people  afflicted  with  this  loathsome 
malad}',  but  never  without  a  feeling  of  pity  for  the  poor  un- 
fortunates. The  group  of  lepers  so  faithfully  photographed 
for  this  book  will  give  the  reader  a  correct  idea  of  the  ap- 
pearance of  these  poor  outcasts.  It  is  a  pitiful  sight,  and 
would  move  a  heart  of  stone  to  sympathy.  What  I  wrote 
of  the  leprosy  in  1884,  and  again  in  1893,  is  true  to-day.  I 
then  said: 

At  Ramleh  we  saw,  for  the  first  time,  a  company  of 
lepers^a  horrible  sight,  with  which  we  were  destined  to  be- 
come more  familiar  before  finishing  our  journey  in  Pales- 
tine, There  were  ten  or  twelve  of  them  sitting  by  the  way- 
side, at  the  entrance  of  the  town.     As  we  approached  them 

*  I  Kings  g:  16. 


CO 

OS 
W 

cw 

1-1 

o 


o 


LEPERS.  167 

tHey  all  got  u[)  aiul  crowded  around  us,  holding  their  arms 
and  hands  up,  so  that  we  could  see  their  terrible  condition, 
at  the  same  time  uttering  the  most  mournful  and  beseech- 
ing cries  for  help.  Nothing  can  be  more  deplorable  than 
their  condition;  and  their  agonizing  cries  and  the  sight  of 
their  wretched  state  would  bring  pity  to  the  hardest  heart. 
In  some  the  disease  had  gone  so  far  that  only  the  stump 
of  a  hand  was  left;  joint  after  joint  of  the  fingers  had  de- 
cayed, shriveled  and  fallen  away,  until  all  were  gone.  In 
others  the  arms  were  a  mass  of  sore^  to  the  elbows,  and  the 
face  presented  a  most  horrible  and  disgusting  sight. 

In  the  law  of  Moses  very  exact  directions  are  given, 
first,  for  the  detection  of  the  disease,  and,  secondly,  for  the 
separation  of  the  unclean  people  from  the  camp  of  Israel. 
It  was  by  the  means  provided  for  in  Leviticus,  13th  and 
14th  chapters,  that  the  dread  disease  was  kept  from 
spreading  among  the  people.  After  being  separated  from 
the  camp,  the  lepers  were  shunned  and  dreaded  by  all,  and 
if  they  saw  any  one  approach  them  they  were  compelled  to 
cry  out,  "Unclean!  unclean!"  When  the  ten  lepers  met 
our  Savior  the)'  lifted  up  their  \oices  from  afar  in  entreaty 
and  supplication  for  help,  perhaps  with  the  thought  that 
he  would  give  them  an  alms;  but  he  commanded  them  to 
go  according  to  the  law,  and  show  themselves  unto  the 
priests;  and  lo,  as  they  went,  they  were  healed.  As  then,  so 
now,  the  disease  is  incurable,  except  by  the  hand  of  the 
Almighty.  As  then,  so  now,  the  lepers  raise  their  voices 
in  entreaty  as  the  traveler  approaches  them.  As  then,  so 
now,  they  are  shunned  by  all;  the}'  live  apart,  outside  of  the 
villages,  in  some  old,  ruined  buildings,  subsisting  on  the 
charity  of  the  travelers  and  the  villagers.  They  intermarry, 
and  so  the  dread  disease  is  propagated,  for  their  offspring 
are  always  leprous. 


l6S  GIRDLING  THE   GlObE. 

It  seems  strange,  indeed,  that  these  wretched  people 
are  allowed  to  intermarry  and  thus  propagate  the  horrible 
disease.  But,  under  the  Turkish  government,  little  atten- 
tion is  paid  to  the  welfare  of  the  common  people.  Sanitary 
questions  do  not  seem  to  concern  the  tyrants  who  rule  and 
ruin  the  country.  As  a  result,  many  children  are  born  into 
the  world — bright  and  healthy-looking  at  first — only  to  be- 
come the  victims  of  this  terrible  and  loathsome  disease. 
According  to  the  best  medical  authorit}-,  leprosy  is  incur- 
able; and  so  it  has  been  regarded  in  all  ages  of  the  world. 
No  one  afiflicted  with  it  has  ever  been  healed,  except  by 
divine  aid.  God  alone  can  heal  and  restore  the  flesh  to  the 
leper. 

When  Naaman  came  from  Damascus  to  the  king  of 
Israel,  and  presented  his  letter,  asking  that  he  might  be 
cured  of  the  leprosy,  the  king  was  amazed  beyond  measure. 
He  rent  his  clothes  and  cried,  "  Am  I  God,  to  kill  and  make 
alive,  that  "this  man  doth  send  to  me  to  recover  a  man  from 
leprosy?"  2  Kings  5:  7.  This  strong  language  shows 
that  the  king  of  Israel  regarded  the  healing  of  a  leper  as 
great  a  miracle  as  restoring  a  dead  man  to  life.  And  when 
the  Syrian  had  humbled  himself  enough  to  wash  in  the 
Jordan,  and  his  flesh  came  upon  him  again,  as  the  flesh  of  a 
child,  he  said,  "  Behold,  now  I  know  that  there  is  no  God 
in  all  the  earth,  but  in  Israel."     2  Kings  5:15. 

At  Damascus — where,  singular  to  say,  the  disease  is  yet 
to  be  found,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  has  clung  to  the 
city  ever  since  the  days  of  Naaman — as  well  as  at  Jerusa- 
lem, there  is  a  hospital  for  lepers,  supported  by  charity. 
Here  the  sufferers  have  medical  treatment,  but  most  of 
them  choose  not  to  enter  the  hospital,  as  they  are  not  al- 
lowed to  marry  when  once  they  enter,  and  the\-  prefer  the 
liberty  rather  than  the  care  afforded  them  in  the  hospitals. 


LEPROSY.  IDQ 

Dr.  Thomson  gives  a  striking  analogy  between  leprosy 
and  sin,  and  it  illustrates  the  character  of  both  diseases  so 
well  that  we  quote  it  in  full: 

"  There  is  nothing  in  the  entire  range  of  human  phe- 
nomena which  illustrates  so  impressively  the  divine  power 
of  the  Redeemer,  and  the  nature  and  extent  of  His  work  of 
mercy  in  man's  behalf,  as  this  leprosy.  There  are  many 
striking  analogies  between  it  and  the  more  deadly  leprosy 
of  sin,  which  has  involved  our  whole  race  in  one  common 
ruin.  It  is  feared  as  contagious;  it  is  certainly  and  inevit- 
ably hereditary;  it  is  loathsome  and  polluting;  its  victim 
is  shunned  as  unclean;  it  is  most  deceitful  in  its  action. 
New-born  children  of  leprous  parents  are  often  as  pretty 
and  as  healthy  in  appearance  as  any  others;  but,  by  and  by, 
its  presence  and  workings  become  visible  in  some  of  the 
signs  described  in  the  13th  chapter  of  Leviticus.  The  scab 
comes  on,  by  degrees,  in  different  parts  of  the  body;  the 
hair  falls  from  the  head  and  eyebrows;  the  nails  loosen,  de- 
cay and  fall  off;  joint  after  joint  of  the  fingers  and  toes 
shrinks  up,  and  slowl\'  falls  away;  the  gums  are  absorbed, 
the  teeth  disappear;  the  nose,  the  eyes,  the  tongue  and  the 
palate  are  slowly  consumed,  and,  finalh',  the  wretched  vic- 
tim sinks  into  the  earth  and  disappears,  while  medicine  has 
no  power  to  stay  the  ravages  of  this  fell  disease,  or  even  to 
mitigate  sensibly  its  tortures. 

"Who  can  fail  to  find,  in  all  this,  a  most  affecting  type 
of  man's  moral  leprosy?  Like  it,  this,  too,  is  hereditary, 
and  with  infallible  certainty.  As  surely  as  we  have  inher- 
ited it  from  our  fathers,  do  we  transmit  it  to  our  children. 
None  escape.  The  infant,  so  lively  with  its  cherub  smile 
and  innocent  prattle,  has  imbibed  the  fatal  poison.  There 
are  those,  I  know,  who,  as  they  gaze  on  the  soft,  clear  heav- 
en   of    infancy's    laughing    eye,    reject,    with    horror,   the 


170  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

thou_<:jht  that  even  here  the  lcpros\-  of  sin  lies  deep  within. 
So  any  one  niii^ht  tliink  and  say  who  looked  upon  a  beauti- 
ful babe  in  the  arms  of  its  leprous  mother.  But,  alas!  give 
but  time  enough,  and  the  physical  malady  manifests  its 
presence,  and  does  its  work  of  death.  And  so  in  the  anti- 
type. If  left  unchecked  by  power  divine,  the  leprosy  of  sin 
will  eat  into  the  very  texture  of  the  soul,  and  consume  ev- 
erything lovely  and  pure  in  human  character,  until  the  smil- 
ing babe  becomes  the  traitor  Iscariot,  a  Nero,  a  Cesar 
Borgia,  or  a  bloody  Robespierre.  They  were  all  once  smil- 
ing infants. 

"  Again,  leprosy  of  the  body  none  but  God  can  cure. 
So,  also,  there  is  only  one  Ph)'sician  who  can  cleanse  the 
soul  from  the  leprosy  of  sin.  Medicines  of  man's  device 
are  of  no  avail,  but  with  Him,  none  are  needed.  He  saw 
the  ten  lepers  who  stood  afar  off,  and  lifted  up  their  voices 
and  cried,  '  Jesus,  Master,  have  mercy  upon  us.  And  when 
He  saw  them,  He  said  unto  them.  Go,  show  yourselves  unto 
the  priests;  and  as  they  went,  they  were  cleansed.'  And, 
with  the  same  divine  power,  He  sa\'s  to  many  a  moral  leper, 
'  Go  in  peace;  thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee,'  and  it  happens 
unto  them  according  to  their  faith.  To  my  mind,  there  is 
no  conceivable  manifestation  of  divine  power  more  trium- 
phantly confirmatory  of  Christ's  divinity  than  the  cleansing 
of  a  leper  with  a  word.  When  looking  at  these  handless, 
eyeless,  tongueless  wrecks  of  humanity,  the  unbelieving 
question  starts  unbidden,  '  Is  it  possible  they  can  be  re- 
stored?' Yes,  it  is  more  than  possible.  It  has  been  accom- 
plished once  and  again  by  the  mere  volition  of  Him  who 
spake,  and  it  was  done.  And  He  who  can  cleanse  the  leper, 
can  raise  the  dead  and  can  also  forgive  sins  and  save  the 
soul.     I  ask  for  no  other  evidence  of  the  fact." 

Leaving  Ramleh  for  Jerusalem,  the  road  passes  over  a 


BETH-SHEMESH,  I7I 

portion  of  country  rich  in  Bible  associations.  Yonder  is 
Gimzo  which  the  Philistines  wrested  from  the  weak,  idola- 
trous king  Ahaz.  He  put  his  trust  in  Tiglath-pileser,  the 
Assyrian,  but  received  no  help  from  his  father's  ally.  The 
Philistines  took  from  him  six  cities  and  their  villages  lo- 
cated in  the  low  country  south  of  Judea,  the  plain  over 
which  the  road  passes,  among  which  were  Gimzo,  Ajalon 
and  Beth-shemesh.* 

It  was  to  the  same  Beth-shemesh  that  the  Arlc  of  the 
Covenant  was  taken  b}-  the  kine.  The  ark,  after  its  cap- 
ture b)-  the  Philistines,  had  been  carried  to  Ashdod.  But 
it  proved  an  unwelcome  visitor,  and  much  to  the  conster- 
nation of  the  inhabitants  of  P^kronf  it  was  sent  to  them. 
This  was  all  brought  forcibl\-  to  mind  as  we  passed  by 
t^kron  and  read  the  account  over  again  in  the  Bible.  The 
railwa)'  follows  the  course  taken  by  the  two  milch  kine 
with  the  cart  and  the  ark  of  the  Lord,  for  the)'  "  went 
along  the  highwa}'  lowing  as  the}-  went,  and  turned  not 
aside  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the  left,^  until  the)-  came  to 
Beth-shemesh."  To  the  right  of  the  road,  as  we  go  up  to 
Jerusalem,  is  the  site  of  the  ancient  cit)',  and  yonder  in 
the  valle)'  is  the  very  spot  where  "  they  of  Beth-shemesh 
were  reaping  their  wheat  harvest  .  .  .  and  they  lifted  up 
their  e)'es,  and  saw  the  ark,  and  rejoiced  to  see  it."§  Their 
rejoicing,  however,  was  of  short  duration.  Curiosity  led 
them  to  look  into  the  sacred  chest,  and  the\'  paid  dearly 
for  their  violation  of  the  law.  They  were  doubtless  as  glad 
to  give  the  ark  to  the  men  of  Kirjath-jearim  as  the)'  had 
been  in  the  first  place  to  receive  it  from  the  Philistines. 

The  birthplace  of  Samson,  Zorah,  is  passed  to  the  left, 

*2Chro.n.  28:  18. 
t  I  Sam.  5;  10. 
X  I  Sam.  6:  12. 
§  I  Sam.  6;  13. 


1/2  niKDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

lunv  noticeable  on  account  of  the  whitewashed  tombs,  visi- 
ble from  the  railwa)'  as  we  pass  b)'.  We  were  informed 
that  these  tombs  are  carefully  whitewashed  ever)'  two  or 
three  years,  and  here  we  have  a  practical  illustration  of 
the  Savior's  words  to  the  Pharisees:  "  Ye  are  like  unto 
whited  sepulchres,  which  indeed  appear  beautiful  outward, 
but  are  within  full  of  dead  men's  bones  and  of  all  unciean- 
ness."*  But  these  arc  not  the  only  whited  tombs  in  Pales- 
tine. The)'  are  to  be  seen  at  many  places.  Still  farther 
up  the  valley  Etam  is  passed,  and  a  cave  in  the  top  of 
the  rock  is  pointed  out  where,  tradition  sa)'s,  Samson  hid 
from  the  Philistines  after  he  "  smote  them  hip  and  thigh 
with  a  great  slaughter."  It  is  interesting  to  read  these 
Bible  events  where  they  occurred  so  long  ago.  But  while 
we  have  been  reading  and  meditating,  the  train  enters  the 
valley  of  Rephaim,  and  we  are  at  Jerusalem  again.  Mr. 
Gelat,  our  host  of  the  New  Hotel,  meets  us  at  the  depot, 
and  we  are  soon  comfortably  lodged  "at  our  Jerusalem  home. 

A  subject  of  general  interest  is  that  of  land  tenure,  and 
the  question  is  often  asked,  "  How  are  the  lands  held  in 
Palestine,  and  what  are  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the 
owners?"  We  are  indebted  to  Mr.  S.  Berghman,  who 
has  spent  ten  )-ears  farming  on  the  plains  of  Sharon  near 
Ramleh,  for  reliable  information  as  to  the  ownership  of 
land. 

The  Fellahin  or  Arab  farmers  dwell  in  villages,  and 
the  village  lands  are  divided  into  three  classes: 

I.  The  lands  belonging  to  individuals  in  whom  the 
title  vests.  The  owner  of  such  land  may  give  awa)-,  sell, 
or  bequeath  his  real  estate,  and  if  he  owns  any  at  his  death 
it  falls  to  his  heirs.  The  owner  of  such  land  must  pay  an 
annual  tax  of  from  three  to  five  per  cent  on  the  actual 
*  Matt.  23:  27. 


AGRICULTURAL    LANDS.  1/3 

valuation  of  the  land.  Such  valuation  is  made  ever\'  five 
years.  Buildinfrs  may  be  erected  at  the  pleasure  of  the 
owner  but  are  subjected  to  a  tax,  in  addition  to  that  paid 
in  on  the  land,  based  on  their  actual  cost.  Lands  of  this 
class  are  usually  close  to  the  village,  and  are  almost  al- 
ways used  for  orchards  and  gardens. 

II.  The  lands  belonging  to  the  State  or  Imperial  Gov- 
ernment, /.  c,  the  sultan  at  Constantinople.  These  are 
called  the  agricultural  lands,  and  are  farmed  in  common 
by  the  villagers,  who  raise  wheat,  barley,  beans,  lentils, 
millet,  and  at  some  places  small  quantities  of  tobacco. 
The  right  to  cultivate  these  lands  is  held  in  common  by 
all  the  members  of  the  community.  No  individual  can 
own  any  lot  or  parcel  of  the  arable  land,  and  his  right  be- 
gins only  after  an  allotment  has  been  made  for  the  year. 
The  title  vests  in  the  state,  and  no  houses  may  be  built 
or  trees  planted  on  lands  of  this  class  without  a  special 
permit  from  the  highest  officer  of  the  treasury  department. 
When  such  permit  has  been  given,  the  houses  and  trees 
become  freehold  property,  but  the  ground  on  which  they 
stand  still  belongs  to  the  state. 

Each  year  the  agricultural  lands  are  apportioned  for 
plowing  and  sowing  to  the  members  of  the  community  who 
desire  and  are  able  to  cultivate  them.  Each  individual 
has  by  inheritance  the  right  to  plow  and  sow  on  the  state 
land,  and  it  is  divided  into  equal  portions,  according  to 
the  number  of  yokes  of  oxen  in  the  village;  the  man  who 
runs  two  }'okes  of  oxen  gets  twice  as  much  to  plow  as  he 
who  owns  but  one,  and  two  men  owning  an  ox  each,  to- 
gether get  just  as  much  as  he  who  owns  a  yoke.  These 
two  work  together,  one  day  on  the  land  allotted  to  the  one 
and  the  next  on  that  allotted  to  the  other. 

No  stranger  is  allowed  to  cultivate  any  of  the  lands  of 


1/4  GIRDT.lNr,    TUF,    r.LORE. 

a  villai^c  w  ilhout  Ihc  consent  of  the  entire  coininuiiilx',  and 
no  member  of  a  communit)'  can  let  or  rent  his  portion  of 
land  to  a  stranger.  He  may  enter  into  partnership  with 
one  who  will  furnish  seed  and  oxen,  but  this  must  be 
arranged  before  the  allotment  is  made.  Such  a  stranger 
then  becomes  a  member  of  the  communit)',  subject  to  all 
its  laws  and  regulations.  The  portion  of  land  allotted 
to  a  villager  is  his  from  the  time  he  begins  to  plow  until 
he  carries  the  last  sheaf  from  his  field  to  the  village 
threshing  floor.  Then  his  individual  right  lapses,  and  the 
land  reverts  to  the  community. 

The  land  is  apportioned,  as  in  Bible  times,  by  lot.  Aft- 
er the  fields  have  been  measured  with  a  rope  or  line,  each 
is  named.  Their  names  are  given  either  accidentally  or 
for  some  special  reason.  Thus,  a  field  with  a  peculiar 
rock  in  it  is  called  "the  field  of  the  rock,"  another,  "the 
field  of  the  trees,"  and  others  still  "field  of  road,"  "field 
of  the  mound,"  "  field  of  the  fight,"  etc.  One  is  here  ver)' 
forcibly  reminded  of  the  name  given  to  the  parcel  of 
land  bought  with  the  thirt\'  pieces  of  silver,  "  the  field  of 
blood."*  The  land  has  been  previously  laid  out  in  four 
great  divisions,  eastern,  western,  northern  and  southern. 
The  names  of  the  fields  of  each  of  these  divisions  are  then 
plain!)'  written  on  small,  smooth  pebbles,  and  these  are 
put  into  four  small  sacks,  one  for  each  great  division  of 
the  land.  The  farmers  then  form  themselves  into  a  half 
circle,  in  the  center  of  which  is  seated  the  ima)i,  the  head 
or  chief  man  of  the  village.  Two  little  boys,  alwaws  under 
five  )-ears  of  age,  so  that  they  may  be  wholly  unbiased, 
stand  near  him,  one  on  each  side. 

They  are  now  ready  for  the  casting  of  lots.     One  of 
the  small  sacks  is  taken  up,  and  one  of  the  l)oys  puts  his 


*  Matt.  27:  5-8. 


DIVIDING    THE    LAND    BY    LOT.  I75 

hand  into  it  and  talces  a  pebble  or  lot.  The  iman  then 
asks  the  other  boy,  "Whose  field  is  this?"  and  the  boy 
either  calls  out  the  name,  or  points  to  one  of  the  villagers, 
and  the  land  is  allotted  to  him  and  so  recorded.  There  is 
no  appeal  from  this  lot,  and  each  farmer  must  be  satisfied 
with  the  field  which  has  been  assigned  to  him. 

As  the  farmers  stand  around  waiting  for  the  lots  that  are 
to  fall  to  them,  each  one  exclaims,  as  the  boy  puts  his 
hand  in  the  sack,  "  God  keep,  maintain  and  uphold  my 
lot,"  and  David's  words  are  brought  to  mind,  "Thou  main- 
tainest  my  lot.  The  lines  are  fallen  to  me  in  pleasant 
places;  yea,  I  have  a  goodly  heritage."!  Mr.  Berghman 
is  of  the  opinion  that  this  passage  would  be  more  correctly 
rendered  from  the  Hebrew  text  as  follows,  "  Tiiou  holdest 
or  standest  by  the  pebble  of  my  lot.  The  dividing  lines 
have  been  stretched  out  for  me  in  pleasant  places.  Yea, 
a  goodly  inheritance  by  lot  is  given  me."  It  is  an  inter- 
esting proceeding,  and  may  not  differ  widely  from  that 
adopted  by  Joshua  when  he  divided  the  land  by  lot  among 
the  Israelites  more  than  three  thousand  years  ago. 

The  land  in  this  way  is  divided  every  year,  and  thus  no 
member  of  the  community  receives  the  same  portion  of 
land  ever\'  }-ear.  It  may  fall  to  him  again  by  lot,  and  it 
ma)'  not;  the  chances  are  against  its  doing  so. 

The  dividing  lines  between  the  fields  are  deep,  double 
furrows,  but  as  these  disappear  after  heavy  rains,  stones 
are  piled  up  at  each  end,  and  these  are  called  the  stones 
of  the  boundary.  To  remove  such  stones  while  the  crop 
is  growing,  or  before  it  is  gathered  in,  is  considered  a  great 
sin.  He  who  does  so  robs  his  neighbor  not  of  part  of  his 
land  but  of  his  crop,  which  is  his  living,  and  is  sure  to 
bring  upon  his   head  the   malediction   of  all   right-thinking 

tPsa.  16:5,6. 


176  GIRDLING    THE    GLOHE. 


men.  As  it  was  in  the  da}'s  of  Joshua  so  it  is  now. 
"  Cursed  be  he  that  removeth  his  neighbor's  hind  niari<."* 
The  curse  is  based  on  the  older  law,  which  says,  "Thou 
shalt  not  remove  thy  neighbor's  landmark  which  they  of 
old  time  (/.  c.  chiefs  or  elders)  have  set  up."^ 

Each  village  supports  two  public  servants.  The  intati, 
who  is  a  kind  of  preacher,  leads  in  the  prayers,  performs 
whatever  marriage  ceremon}'  is  necessar\-,  buries  the  dead, 
keeps  all  public  accounts,  such  as  taxes,  repairs  of  the 
mosque,  and  expenses  of  the  guest-chamber  provided  for 
strangers.  The  other  is  the  imtoor  or  watchman,  whose 
duty  it  is  to  keep  a  lookout  for  strangers,  invite  them  to 
the  guest-chamber  and  provide  them  with  food.  He  must 
take  care  that  no  cattle  from  a  strange  village  stray  upon 
the  lands  or  graze  on  the  pastures  of  the  community. 
They  receive  their  pay  not  in  mone\-,  but  in  grain,  each 
farmer  contributing  so  many  measures,  according  to  the 
number  of  fields  he  cultivates.  The  chief  and  watchman 
also  have  a  parcel  of  land  allotted  to  them,  which  is  usu- 
ally plowed  and  sown  for  them  by  the  farmers  without 
charge. 

Oxen  are  usually  employed  for  plowing,  but  I  have 
seen  on  the  plains  of  Sharon  an  ox  and  an  ass  yoked  to- 
gether. This  is  considered  unjust,  and  is  done  only  when 
it  cannot  well  be  avoided.  "  Thou  shalt  not  plow  with  an 
ox  and  an  ass  together. "§  I  have  also  seen  horses,  mules, 
and  camels  drawing  the  plow,  and  Mr.  B.  tells  us  that  on 
several  occasions  he  has  seen  a  man  or  a  woman  attached 
to  a  plow,  pulling  side  by  side  with  a  donke)\ 

The  agricultural  lands  pay  two  kinds  of  taxes;  first,  a 


*  Deut.  27: 17. 
%  Deut.  19:  14. 
§  Deut.  22: 10. 


TAX    GATHERERS.  1 77 

money  tax  of  from  three  to  fi\e  per  cent  on  the  valuation 
of  the  land.  The  farmers  pa)-  in  proportion  to  the  amount 
of  land  they  cultivate.  If  any  of  the  land  is  not  cultivated, 
the  tax  on  it  is  collected  from  the  male  inhabitants  of  the 
village  equally.  The  elder  or  chief  man  collects  this  tax 
and  pays  it  to  the  government.  Second,  the  tenth  or  tithe 
of  all  the  land  produces.  This  tax  is  based  on  the  Bible, 
and  is  as  old  as  the  time  when  Jacob  set  up  a  pillar  at 
Bethel,  and  made  a  vow  unto  the  Lord,  saying,  "And  of 
all  that  thou  shalt  give  me  I  will  surely  give  the  tenth  un- 
to thee."*  And  this  vow  of  Jacob  was  afterward  incorpor- 
ated in  the  law  by  Moses:  "And  all  the  tithe  of  the  land 
whether  of  the  seed  of  the  land  or  the  fruit  of  the  tree  is 
the  Lord's.  .  .  .  The  tithe  of  the  herd,  or  of  the  Hock, 
even  of  whatsoever  passeth  under  the  rod,  the  tenth  shall 
be  holy  unto  the  Lord."t 

The  collection  of  the  tenth  is  the  source  of  much  op- 
pression, and  the  poor  farmer  is  made  to  suffer.  The  lax 
is  sold  to  the  highest  bidder,  and  the  asliar  or  tax  collector, 
in  addition  to  the  bribes  he  pa}'s  the  officials  to  secure 
the  purchase,  has  to  pay  a  larger  sum  than  the  actual  value 
of  the  tenth  if  it  were  honestly  collected.  The  villagers 
are  not  allowed  to  begin  harvesting  until  the  asJiar  arrives. 
His  whole  object  is  to  get  as  much  out  of  the  farmer  as 
he  possibly  can,  and  this  is  done  by  a  series  of  annoyances, 
until  the  farmers,  out  of  sheer  necessity,  are  obliged  to 
compromise  with  the  tax  gatherer.  Mr.  B.  gives  it  as  his 
opinion,  after  ten  years'  experience  among  the  Arab  farm- 
ers, that  instead  of  the  tenth  honestly  due  b}^  law  the 
asJiar  carries  off  at  least  one-third  of  the  crop.  These  tax 
gatherers  are  hated   by  the  people,  and  the  term  asliar  is 


*Geii.  2<S:  22. 

t  Deut.  27:  30-32. 


1/8 


GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 


ahva\s  applied  to  extortionate,  merciless  men.  They  enjoy 
no  better  reputation  than  did  the  publicans  in  New  Testa- 
ment times. 

III.  The  third  class  of  lands  are  those  set  apart  at 
various  times  for  the  maintenance  of  mosques  and  tombs, 
such  as  the  Mosque  of  Omar  and  the  tomb  of  David  at 


THE    ONE-HANDLED    PLOW. 


Jerusalem,  and  the  mosque  over  the  tomb  of  Abraham  at 
Hebron.  These  lands  are  held  and  taxed  in  the  same  way 
that  the  agricultural  lands  are  managed.  The'  tax,  how- 
ever, is  paid  into  a  special  treasur).- 

A  new  law  has  been  introduced  within  the  last  few- 
years  in  reference  to  land  tenure,  which,  if  enforced,  will 
change  these  old  Bible  customs.     The  lands  of  the  second 


MODERN    INNOVATIONS.  I/Q 

class  are  to  be  divided  by  an  imperial  commissioner  into 
various  portions,  and  given  to  individual  villagers.  They 
receive  title  deeds  and  may  sell  their  right  to  cultivate 
either  to  a  villager  or  to  a  stranger.  The  taxes,  of  course, 
remain  the  same.  It  is  said  the  law  is  to  be  strictl}-  en- 
forced, and  if  it  is,  a  number  of  the  ancient  customs  or  land- 
marks of  Bible  times  will  entirely  disappear.  Gradually 
modern  innovations  are  revolutionizing  the  Holy  Land. 
Great  changes  have  taken  place  since  we  first  visited  it  in 
1884.  Present  indications  are  that  greater  changes  will  take 
place  in  the  years  to  come,  and  very  soon  a  visit  to  Pales- 
tine will  have  lost  its  chief  charm, — the  ancient  Bible  cus- 
toms. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


Measzirincr  Grain  —  Poverty  of  Jerusalem  —  Excavations  —  Gates 
Sunk  in  the  Ground —  Two  Women  Grinding  at  the  Mill —  The 
Shepherd  and  his  Flock  —  Xight  on  Olivet  —  A  Jetuish  Funeral  — 
The  Kings  I  Vine  Press  —  Eastward  and  Hotneward  —  0)i  to 
Egypt. 

A  MONTH  and  a  half  spent  in  the  Holy  Cit\-,  after  two 
previous  visits,  was  none  too  long.  There  are  many  nooks 
and  corners  to  be  searched  out,  places  of  great  interest  to 
the  Bible  student,  which  are  never  seen  b\'  the  hast\-  travel- 
er. Make  haste  slowh',  is  a  good  rule  in  \'isiting  Jerusalem. 
I  had  an  illustration  of  this  one  da\'  as  I  walked  b)'  the 
grain  market  and  saw  the  merchant  selling  and  measuring 
grain;  something  m\'  two  previous  visits  to  the  cit\'  had  not 
revealed  to  me.  The  photogravure  tells  the  whole  stor\-, 
but  needs  an  explanation.  The  merchant  takes  the  meas- 
ure,— about  the  size  of  the  old-fashioned,  honest  half  bush- 
els of  m}'  bo\-hood  da)'s, — and  fills  it  \\  ith  grain.  He  then 
seizes  the  measure  with  both  hands,  shaking  it  vigorously 
so  that  the  grain  is  well  shaken  together.  Adding  more 
grain,  he  presses  it  down  with  both  hands,  seeming  anxious 
to  get  all  the  grain  possible  into  and  on  the  measure.  He 
heaps  it  up,  pressing  the  grain  on;  and  when  \ou  think  it 
impossible  for  him  to  add  an)'  more,  he  makes  a  hole  in  the 
top  of  the  heap,  and  then  takes  up  a  handful  of  grain  and 
allows  it  to  run  from  his  hand  into  the  hole  until  it  fills  up 
and  then  runs  over  the  measure  all  around.  Then  the  pur- 
chaser carefully  puts  the  mouth  of  the  sack  over  the  meas- 
ure, and  thus  secures  every  grain  when  it  is  emptied  into  his 

(.So; 


7. 

6 

o 
z 

2 

CO 

< 


MEASURING   GRAIN.  183 

sack.  I  watched  the  measuring  intently  for  some  time,  and 
my  mind  naturall)'  went  back  to  the  words  of  the  Master, 
who,  when  he  was  in  Palestine,  witnessed  many  times  just 
such  mcasuriuf^  as  is  here  described:  "Give,  and  it  shall  be 
given  unto  }'ou;  good  measure,  pressed  down,  and  shaken 
together,  and  running  over,  shall  men  give  into  your  bosom. 
For  with  the  same  measure  that  }e  mete  withal  it  shall  be 
measured  to  you  again."* 

I  contrasted  the  measuring  of  the  grainseller  in  Jerusa- 
lem with  that  with  which  I  was  familiar  in  my  )'Outh  when 
I  worked  on  the  farm  in  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania,  when 
grain  was  often  sold  by  measure.  How  carefully  the  old 
half  bushel  was  handled  so  that  the  grain  was  not  shaken 
together,  and  then  how  evenly  it  was  stroked  with  a 
straightedge  so  that  the  measure  should  be  only  level  full. 
In  those  days  it  was  even  whispered  that  some  farmers  had 
a  stroke  slightly  convex,  so  that  after  the  stroking  of  the 
measure  it  was  not  even-full  of  grain.  But  the  Jerusalem 
grainseller  does  not  measure  that  way.  He  presses  down, 
shakes  together,  heaps  up  and  fills  the  measure  to  running 
over.  The  scene  was  of  intense  interest,  and  was  worth  a 
trip  to  Jerusalem  to  look  upon.  To  see  the  very  same  way 
of  measuring  so  graphically  described  by  the  Master,  and 
to  realize  that  the  old  Bible  custom  has  continued  here  for 
at  least  two  thousand  years,  is  to  give  one  a  stronger  faith 
in  the  Book  and  in  God's  providences. 

Many  persons  who  visit  Jerusalem  are  seriously  disap- 
pointed. Instead  of  the  beautiful  city  pictured  in  their  im- 
aginations, which  are  no  doubt  assisted  by  the  writings  of 
some  of  the  poetical  dreamers  and  word  painters  who  visit 
Palestine  from  time  to  time,  they  find  houses  without  archi- 
tectural beauty,  streets  poorly  paved,  narrow  and  dirty,  des- 

*Luke6:38. 


184  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

olation  on  all  sides,  obtrusive  poverty  that  can  be  felt,  filth 
ami  dirt  everywhere,  with  tradesmen  whose  sole  living  de- 
I)ends  upon  the  money  they  can  get  out  of  travelers,  and 
this  often  without  regard  to  adequate  return.  Add  to  all 
this  the  barren,  desolate  hills  around  the  cit}',  which  at  this 
season  are  without  a  spear  of  grass,  and  the  picture  of  deso- 
lation is  quite  complete,  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  travel- 
er is  not  favorably  impressed.  But  to  us  all  these  things 
are  full  of  interest,  because  they  are  the  fulfillment  of 
prophec}%  and  bear  testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  Bible. 
Keeping  in  mind  the  filthy  streets,  the  poverty  and  desola- 
tion of  the  city,  read  these  words  spoken  b)-  God's  prophets 
twent\'-five  hundred  years  ago,  "  How  doth  the  city  sit  soli- 
tary that  was  full  of  people,  how  is  she  become  as  a  widow. 
.  .  The  ways  of  Zion  do  mourn,  her  gates  are  desolate.  .  . 
All  her  beauty  is  departed.  .  .  All  that  honored  her  de- 
spised her.  .  .  Her  filthiness  is  in  her  skirts.  .  .  Zion 
spreadeth  forth  her  hands,  and  there  is  none  to  comfort 
her."  And  those  bitter,  sad  words,  uttered  b}^  the  greatest 
of  all  the  prophets,  "Behold  }'our  house  is  left  unto  you 
desolate."  If  the  prophets  lived  te^-da}',  and  were  to  de- 
scribe Jerusalem,  they  could  not  write  in  more  expressive 
language  than  they  used  so  man)-  centuries  ago.  Their 
words  became  history,  for  history  is  prophec}'  fulfilled, 

One  of  our  company  expressed  his  feelings  about  Jeru- 
salem in  this  way:  "Take  out  of  the  city  a  few  of  the  fam- 
ilies who  live  there,  and  I  should  sa}'  it  is  the  meanest  cit)' 
I  have  ever  seen."  The  very  statement  is  in  harmony  with 
the  predictions  of  the  prophets.  "All  her  beaut)'  is  de- 
parted. .  .  All  that  honored  her  despised  her."  Despised 
and  spoken  against  as  she  is,  sitting  in  solitude  and  weep- 
ing, yet  the  day  will  come  when  Jerusalem  shall  rejoice  as  a 
regal  queen.     As  the  days  of  her  desolation  have  been  fore- 


EXCAVATIONS.  1 8/ 

told,  SO,  also,  has  the  glad  day  of  her  restoration  been  pro- 
claimed. 

We  were  much  interested  in  the  work  of  excavating  the 
ancient  walls,  now  being  carried  on  b)'  Dr.  Bliss,  for  the 
Palestine  Exploration  Fund.  We  visited  the  excavations  a 
number  of  times,  climbing  down  shafts  and  exploring  dark 
luiHU'ls.  At  some  future  time  a  synopsis  of  the  work  done 
may  be  given.     Here  space  is  taken  for  only  one  discover)'. 

At  one  point  an  ancient  gate  was  discovered,  and  on 
excavating  about  it  they  found  that  it  occupied  the  site  of 
not  onl}'  one,  but  of  two  earlier  gates.  These  three  gates, 
one  built  above  the  other,  are  to  be  seen  very  plainl)'.  The 
first  thrown  down  ''sa/ik  into  the  ground''  as  it  were,  and  then 
a  second  was  built  above  the  first,  and  so  also  the  third. 
We  examined  all  this  very  carefully  and  saw  the  sockets  in 
which  the  gates  swung.  The  most  striking  fact  about  it  is 
that  the  prophet  Jeremiah,  speaking  of  the  desolation  of 
Jerusalem,  uses  this  language:  "The  Lord  hath  proposed  to 
destroy  the  wall  of  the  daughter  of  Zion.  .  .  Her  gates  are 
sunk  in  the  ground;  he  hath  destroyed  and  broken  her  bars." 
The  sunken  gates  of  the  wall  of  Zion  bear  testimony  in 
these  last  days  to  the  truth  of  the  Book  of  God. 

But  while  Jerusalem  and  Palestine  are  desolate, — and 
never  so  desolate  looking  as  at  this  season  of  the  year,  just 
before  the  early  rains  fall, — yet  the  city  and  country  are  so 
full  and  rich  in  Bible  associations,  and  existing  conditions 
agree  so  exactly  with  God's  Book,  that  he  who  is  interested 
in  Bible  study  forgets  the  desolation  and  enjoys  a  rich  feast 
in  visiting  the  Holy  Land.  The  agreement  between  the 
Land  and  the  Book  settles  beyond  all  question  of  doubt  the 
historical  accuracy  of  the  Bible.  In  the  measuring  of  grain, 
already  referred  to,  there  could  be  no  closer  agreement  with 
the  words  of  Christ;  and  instances  of  this   kind   might   be 


iSS  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

multiplied  many  times.  It  would  be  a  pleasant  and  profit- 
able theme  for  investigation,  l)ut  in  i^irdlin*^  the  globe  I 
cannot  enter  largely  into  this  interesting  subject.  I  must  be 
content  with  referring  to  but  two  ancient  Bible  customs  still 
retained  in  Palestine.  Our  artist  has  well  and  faithfully 
photographed  both  of  these  and  rendered  valuable  assis- 
tance to  both  writer  and  reader.  One  pictui'e  is  of  "two 
women  grinding  at  the  mill,"  the  other  is  of  a  shepherd 
leading  his  flock  out  of  the  sheepfold  to  the  pastures. 

The  Master,  referring  to  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man 
and  the  judgment  day,  says:  "Two  women  shall  be  grinding 
at  the  mill;  the  one  shall  be  taken,  and  the  other  left."* 
The  photogravure  on  page  185  reproduces  just  what  Jesus 
saw  many,  man\'  times  when  he  walked  through  Palestine. 
Study  the  picture,  for  you  have  before  you  the  scene  from 
which  he  drew  the  illustration  in  the  language  quoted,  and 
by  which  he  taught  a  great  truth;  and  then  reflect  that 
eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-four  years  passed  from  the  time 
Jesus  saw  the  women  grinding  at  the  mill  till  the  taking  of 
the  photograph.  Through  all  these  centuries  the  custom 
has  not  ceased,  and  who  will  say  that  the  Lord,  when  he 
comes  again,  will  not  find  women  grinding  just  as  he  said 
he  would? 

And  here  is  the  shepherd  leading  his  flock  out  of  the 
sheepfold.  Along  the  valleys  and  on  the  hillsides — where- 
ever  the  grass  grows — he  leads  his  sheep.  One  cannot 
look  upon  a  scene  of  this  kind  without  calling  to  mind 
numerous  scriptural  allusions  to  the  shepherd  and  his  flock. 
As  in  the  days  of  the  Shepherd  King  who  said,  "The  Lord 
is  my  shepherd;  I  shall  not  want,"  and  in  the  days  when 
our  Lord,  the  great  Shepherd,  led  his  sheep  about  Pales- 
tine, so  to-day  the  shepherds  in  the  Holy  Land  lead  their 

*Matt.  24:  41. 


y. 

< 


X 

w 

a: 


THE    SHEPHERD    AND    HIS    FLOCK.  I9I 

sheep  and  call  them  by  name.  Our  Lord  said:  "I  am  the 
good  shepherd,  and  know  ni)-  sheep,  and  am  known  of 
mine;"  and  again:  "He  calleth  his  own  sheep  b}-  name,  and 
leadeth  them  out.  And  when  he  putteth  forth  his  own 
sheep,  he  goeth  before  them,  and  the  sheep  follow  him:  for 
they  know  his  voice.  And  a  stranger  will  they  not  follow, 
but  will  flee  from  him:  for  the)'  know  not  the  voice  of 
strangers."*  How  man)'  times  in  Palestine  have  I  seen  the 
shepherds  lead  their  flocks.  Among  the  hills  which  encom- 
pass Jerusalem  on  ever)'  side,  on  the  plains  about  Bethle- 
hem, in  the  valley  of  the  Jordan,  along  the  shores  of  the 
Sea  of  Galilee,  over  Hermon  and  Lebanon  and  b)'  the 
waters  of  Abana  and  Pharpar,  have  I  witnessed  the  shep- 
herd going  before  his  flock  and  calling  his  sheep  b)-  name, 
and  the  sheep  following  their  leader.  Once  in  the  valley 
south  of  Jerusalem  I  saw  a  shepherd  leading  his  flock,  and 
called  to  the  sheep,  but  they  knew  not  the  voice  of  the 
stranger  and  fled  awa)-  affrighted.  Often  in  the  evening 
you  ma)'  hear  a  shepherd  calling  from  a  hilltop  to  a  com- 
panion in  the  valley  below,  asking  whether  there  are  an)' 
stray  sheep  in  his  flock.  The  answer  is:  "Call,  and  I  will 
see."  The  shepherd  whose  sheep  have  gone  astray  then 
gives  a  peculiar  call  with  which  his  sheep  are  familiar,  and 
his  stra)'  sheep  lift  up  their  heads,  while  the  rest  of  the 
flock  go  on  grazing  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  The  sheep 
know  their  shepherd's  voice. 

There  is  something  strikingly  beautiful  and  assuring  in 
the  language  of  the  first  verses  of  the  twenty-third  Psalm, 
and  it  is  not  a  fancy  of  the  imagination;  but  it  is  a  simple 
fact,  both  as  to  the  custom  to  which  David  alludes  and  the 
care  of  the  Lord  for  his  people:  "The  Lord  is  m)'  shep- 
herd; I  shall  not  want.     He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green 

*John  10:3-5. 


193 


GIRDLING  the;  globe. 


pastures:  ho  Icadeth  inc  beside  the  still  waters."*  Could 
lansfuasfe  be  more  tender  or  beautiful?  Then  to  see  the 
shepherd  leadini^-  his  flock  with  tender  care  to  the  pastures 
and  the  water  brooks,  makes  the  language  all  the  more  real 
and  gives  the  entire  figure  an  intensified  meaning. 


AB.ANA,    DAMASCUS. 


Isaiah  also  refers  to  the  Good  Shepherd  in  this  beauti- 
ful language:  "He  shall  feed  his  flock  like  a  shepherd:  he 
shall  gather  the  lambs  with  his  arm,  and  carry  them  in  his 
bosom.""!"  And  Micah  says:  "Feed  th)-  people  with  thy  rod, 
and  the  flock  of  thine  heritage. "J     As  a  rule  the  shepherd 

*  Psalms  23:  1,  2. 
flsa.  40:  II. 
tMicah  7:  14. 


FISHING    IX    GALILEE.  .  I93 

does  not  ncetl  to  fectl  his  flock;  but  late  in  the  fall,  when 
the  pastures  are  dried  up,  this  becomes  necessary.  The 
shepherd  carries  a  rod  or  staff  when  he  leads  his  flock  forth 
to  the  pastures  to  feed  them.  With  it  he  guides  his  sheep 
and  defends  them  from  their  enemies.  The  rod  and  staff 
are  referred  to  in  the  twenty-third  Psalm:  "Thy  rod  and  thy 
staff  they  comfort  me."  Thomson  sa}s  of  the  shepherds  of 
Palestine  that  they  are  armed  in  order  to  defend  their 
charges  and  are  ver}'  courageous.  Many  adventures  with 
wild  beasts,  not  unlike  that  recounted  b}'  David,  occur;  and 
though  there  are  now  no  lions  here,  wolves,  leopards  and 
panthers  still  prowl  about  these  wild  valle}'s.*  They  not 
infrequenth'  attack  the  flock  in  the  presence  of  the  shep- 
herd. I  have  listened  with  interest  to  their  descriptions  of 
desperate  fights  with  the  savage  beasts.  And  when  the 
thief  and  robber  come — and  come  they  do — the  faithful 
shepherd  has  often  to  defend  his  flock  at  the  hazard  of  his 
life.     "The  shepherd  giveth  his  life  for  his  sheep. "f 

And  now  we  are  made  glad  by  the  coming  of  our  fel- 
low pilgrims,  who  left  us  some  weeks  ago  at  Beirut.  They 
report  an  exceedingly  interesting  but  tiresome  and  some- 
what dangerous  journey  from  Damascus  to  Jerusalem.  In 
northern  Syria,  at  Hermon  and  Banias  they  were  in  peril  by 
robber.^  and  lawless  inhabitants,  and  it  was  only  after  reach- 
ing Galilee  that  they  felt  comparatively  safe.  Here  they 
enjoyed  fishing  in  the  Sea  of  Galilee  and  our  picture  shows 
them  as  spectators  at  the  interesting  scene. 

After  their  arrival  the  days  went  by  more  rapidh'  still. 
There  were  journeys  to  Hebron,  to  the  Jordan,  to  the  home 
of  the  prophet  Samuel,  to  Bethlehem  and  Bethany.  Jerusa- 
lem and  the  hills  and  valleys  round  about  occupied  days  of 


*i  Sam.  17:34-37. 
tjohn  10:  II, 


194 


OIKDLIXC    THE    GI.Or.E. 


walkinrr  and  donkey  ridin<j^,  and  l)v  the  time  tlir  work  was 
done  we  were  a  weary  band  of  pilc^rims.  In  these  wallas 
and  rides  we  saw  much  of  interest,  but  here  wc  have  space 
for  but   a   moonlight    night   partly   spent    on   01i\et.     This 


FISHING    IN    GALILEE. 


from  my  notes:  Saturday,  Nov.  2.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the 
evening  we  left  our  hotel,  passing  through  the  streets  of  Je- 
rusalem and  going  out  at  St.  Stephen's  gate,  which  pierces 
the  eastern  wall  of  the  city.  As  we  descended  the  hillside, 
going  down  into  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  I  spoke  to  the 
pilgrims  about  the  probability  of  Christ  having  gone  down 
this  same  steep  hillside  after  the  last  supper.  The  full 
moon  shone  with  a  wonderful  brightness  from  a  clear  skv. 
The  hills  and  valleys  were  shown   in  clear  outline,  and  the 


JliWISH    FUNERAL. 


195 


shadows  fell  (lcepl\-  in  tlie  valley  of  Kidron.  The  subdued 
light  of  the  moon  brought  out  the  beauty  of  the  scene  with- 
out the  barrenness  so  apparent  in  the  bright  sunlight. 
From  the  valley  we  climbed  up  Olivet,  passing  Gethsemane 
on  the  way,  until  we  reached  a  level  platform,  and  there 
under  an   old   olive   tree   we  sat    down   and   sang   together: 


ISHMAELITES. 


"Alas!  and  did  my  Savior  Bleed?"  "Have  vou  ever  heard 
the  Story  of  the  Babe  of  Bethlehem?"  and  "  Nearer,  my  God, 
to  Thee."  It  vvas  a  solemn,  but  at  the  same  time  an  enjoy- 
able prayer  meeting,  held  at  a  sacred  place— Gethsemane 
at  our  feet,  Jerusalem  quiet  and  peaceful  lying  over  yonder 
in  the  bright  moonlight. 

Then   we    moved   farther   vip  the   mountain,   and    there 


K/)  GIKIiLlXG    TIIK    C.I.OBE. 

came    to    our    cars    I  he    low,    moaning    sound    of    solemn 
chanting.     It    was    not    far    from    the    hour    of    midnight. 
Looking  across  the  valley  from  where  the  moaning  came,  a 
procession  was  seen  coming  down  into  the  valley  of  Jehosha- 
phat  from  the   southeast  corner  of  the  city  wall.     The  lan- 
terns and  torches  were  dimly  visible  in  the  bright  moon- 
light.    As  it  crossed  the  valley  and  ascended  Olivet  we  as- 
certained that  it  was  a  funeral  procession  on  the  way  to  the 
Jewish  burial  ground  on  the  slope   of  the  mountain.     The 
body  of  the  dead  was  carried  on  a  stretcher  made  by  unit- 
ing two    strong  poles    with    a   number  of   chains.     On   the 
chains  the  body  was  laid  and  covered  with  a  white  cloth, 
and  carried  on  the  shoulders   of  four  men   who  frequently 
changed  places  with  others  who  walked  by  their  side.     The 
body  was  that  of  an  elderly  woman,  and  the  procession  was 
made   up  of   about  fifty    of  the    sons    of  Abraham.     As    it 
passed  where   we  were    standing  we  joined  the  procession 
and  followed  the  body  to  the  grave.     The  stretcher  with  its 
silent  burden  was  laid  down  on  a  flat  tombstone  at  the  side 
of  the  open  grave.     A  man  laid  aside  his  outer  robe  and  got 
down  into  the  grave.     Others  removed  the  white  cloth  from 
the  dead.     The  body  was  closely  wrapped   in  black   cloth. 
Two  men,  one  at  the  head,  the  other  at  the  feet,  took  the 
body  and   lowered   it   to   the   man  in  the  tomb.     The  man 
took  it  in  his  arms  and  laid  it  in  the  grave,   and  then  with 
flat  stones  built  a  box  over  it.     First  stones  were  set  up  on 
edge  at  both  sides  of  the  body,  with  one  at  the  head  and 
another  at  the  feet.     Then   flat  stones  were  laid  on  these, 
covering  the  body  in  a  coftin  of  stone.     The  grave  was  then 
hastily  filled  by  scraping  in  the  earth.     When  it  was  level 
with   the  top  of  the  ground  a  stone  wall  about    a  foot   in 
height  was  built  around   the  grave  and   the  inside  was  filled 
with  earth.     A  psalm  was  read,  a  prayer  for  the  soul  of  the 


Wine  vats.  197 

dead  was  offeretl  by  the  attending  priest,  the  funeral  party 
dispersed,  and  we  turned  away  from  the  Jewish  necropolis 
on  the  w^estern  side  of  Olivet. 

After  the  burial  I  conversed  with  an  intelligent  German 
Jew,  one  of  those  who  attended  the  funeral.  He  said: 
"  When  death  occurs  the  body  is  at  once  prepared  for  the 
tomb,  and  is  buried  within  a  few  hours."  I  was  informed 
that  as  soon  as  God  takes  the  soul  out  of  the  body  a  poi- 
sonous emanation  arises  from  it;  hence  the  desire  to  bury  as 
quicld}'  as  possible.  If  death  occurs  on  a  feast  or  sabbath 
day  the  burial  is  deferred  until  after  sunset,  which  closes  the 
Jewish  day.  Hence  the  burial  on  Olivet  by  moonlight,  of 
which  we  had  been  interested  witnesses. 

On  our  return  to  the  city  we  walked  around  to  the 
Jaffa  gate  and  found  it  open  after  the  hour  of  midnight. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  the  gates  of  Jerusalem  stand  open  day 
and  night. 

In  our  walks  about  Jerusalem  we  revisited  what  are 
now  called  the  "  king's  wine  presses,"  or,  more  properly 
speaking,  wine  vats.  The  outline  sketch  made  after  my 
own  measurement  will  assist  the  reader  in  getting  a  correct 
idea  of  the  wine  vats  in  use  in  Palestine  in  Bible  times.  A 
series  of  vats  is  hewn  into  the  solid  rock  on  the  slope  of 
the  hill.  In  the  sketch  two  vats  are  shown;  the  smaller  one 
has  a  capacity  of  thirteen  hundred  and  forty  gallons,  while 
the  larger  would  hold  three  thousand  gallons.  It  will  be 
observed  that  the  upper  has  a  smaller  one  connected  with  it 
by  means  of  a  gutter  or  trough  cut  in  the  rock.  The  smaller 
vat  is  the  real  wine  press;  into  this,  and  the  five  smaller  vats 
connected  with  the  lower  and  larger  receptacle,  the  grapes 
were  thrown  and  the  treading  process  took  place.  Men, 
barefoot,  trod  upon  the  grapes  until  the  entire  mass  was  re- 
duced to  pulp  and  juice.     Then  more  grapes  were  thrown  in 


mu\\\\[iMllMlliMi>f 


KiNCi's  Winepress. 


WINE   SKINS.  199 

and  the  treading  went  on,  the  juice  flowing  through  the  gut- 
ters into  the  larger  vats  below. 

Referring  to  the  wine  vats,  I  repeat  the  observations 
made  in  a  previous  volume.*  Treading  the  wine  press  was 
hard  and  wearisome  labor,  and  as  the  red  grape,  with  juice 
red  as  blood,  was  grown  in  Palestine,  the  raiment  of  those 
who  trod  in  the  vats  became  red,  and  from  this  fact  Isaiah 
drew  one  of  his  most  vivid  figures  of  speech:  "  Wherefore 
art  tJi07i  red  in  thine  apparel,  and  thy  garments  like  him 
that  treadeth  in  the  winefat?  I  have  trodden  the  winepress 
alone;  and  of  the  people  there  ivas  none  with  me."t  Some 
of  the  treading  vats  or  presses  were  large  enough  for  sev- 
eral men  to  stand  in  them  and  crush  grapes  at  the  same 
time.  Others  were  so  small  that  but  one  could  stand  in 
each  of  them,  and  he  "  trod  the  winepress  alone."  The 
treading  out  of  the  blood-red  juice  of  the  grape  is  referred 
to  by  St.  John  in  the  Apocalypse  when  he  speaks  of  the 
"  great  winepress  of  the  wrath  of  God,"  and  of  the 
wicked  who  are  cast  into  "  the  great  winepress  of  the  wrath 
of  God.  And  the  winepress  was  trodden  without  the  city, 
and  blood  came  out  of  the  winepress,  even  unto  the  horse 
bridles. ";|; 

Near  the  winepress  is  a  great  cistern  or  cellar  hewn  in- 
to the  rock,  in  which  it  is  more  than  likely  the  wine  was 
stored  in  skin  bottles.  y\fter  the  wine  had  fermented  in  the 
large  vats  it  was  put  into  the  skins  and  then  stored  away  in 
the  cellars.  The  one  here  is  forty-six  feet  deep  and,  it  has 
been  estimated,  would  hold  fifty  thousand  wine  skins,  or 
about  half  a  million  gallons  of  wine.     The  kinij's  wine  cellar 


♦"Wanderings  in  Bible  Lands." 

tlsa.63:2,  3. 

X  Rev.   14:  19,  20. 


200  GIRDLING   TI'E    GLOBE. 

Avas  of  such  inii:ortance  that  an  overseer  was  appointed 
"  over  the  increase  of  the  vine}"ards  for  the  wine  celhir."* 

How  rapid  is  time  in  its  flight,  and  doubly  rapid  it  is 
when  we  are  busily  engaged  in  an  enjoyable  work.  To  us 
no  other  days  and  weeks  ever  went  by  so  quickly  as  did 
those  spent  in  the  Holy  City.  And  now  the  time  comes 
to  move  on  again.  Eastward  and  homeward,  thank  God! 
we  turn  our  faces.  The  weeks  spent  at  Jerusalem  were  full 
of  interest  and  of  profit.  Much  of  the  time  was  spent  in 
walks  about  the  city  and  in  making  short  tours  to  places  of 
biblical  interest  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  city.  With  the 
Bible  as  a  guidebook,  and  with  the  knowledge  gained  on 
previous  visits,  we  went  about  from  place  to  place  without  a 
dragoman.  In  this  way  the  time  passed  quickl}*,  and  not  a 
single  day  dragged  heavily  on  our  hands.  We  saw  much 
and  learned  much,  and  we  were  glad  for  the  opportunity  to 
gain  a  better  and  more  intimate  personal  knowledge  of  the 
city  of  the  great  King  and  its  close  relation  to  the  old,  old 
Bible  story. 

While  the  time  passed  quickly  and  pleasanth*,  there 
was  also  some  anxiety  connected  with  our  sojourn  in  Pales- 
tine. The  cholera  broke  out  in  Egypt,  and  at  one  time  it 
was  reported  that  it  also  prevailed  at  Damascus.  This 
rumor,  however,  proved,  much  to  our  relief,  to  be  without 
foundation.  But  the  political  situation  gave  us  the  most 
concern.  Rumors  of  war  were  rife,  and  during  the  last 
week  of  our  stay  the  Turkish  authoiities  suppressed  all 
newspapers.  These  were  burned  at  Jaffa  by  the  postof^ce 
ofificials,  and  we  were  left  without  news  from  the  outside 
world.  Toward  the  last  scarce!}'  a  day  passed  that  did  not 
witness  the  arri\al  of  recruits  for  the  army.  These  passed 
through  the  streets  singing  war  songs,  the  burden  of  which, 

*  1  Chron.  27:  27. 


■J) 


<; 
Z 


FRESH-WATER    CANAL.  2O3 

we  were  informed,  at  some  places  at  least,  w-as,  "  Long  live 
the  sultan  and  death  to  the  Christian  heretics."  Under 
these  circumstances  we  were  not  sorry  to  get  away  from 
Palestine.  We  learned  afterwards  that,  the  evening  before 
we  left,  the  mission  at  Shechem  was  attacked  by  Moham- 
medans, and  some  of  those  connected  with  the  work  were 
severely  wounded. 

We  left  Jerusalem  Nov.  ii  to  go  down  into  Egypt. 
From  the  Holy  City  to  Jaffa  we  journeyed  by  rail,  and 
thence  by  steamer  to  Port  Said.  Although  the  long  sum- 
mer drouth  of  seven  months  was  broken  two  weeks  before 
by  a  grateful  fall  of  the  early  rain,  the  mountains,  valleys, 
and  plains  were  still  barren.  A  few  months  later  and  they 
would  be  covered  with  verdure,  and  beautiful  flowers  would 
bloom  by  the  wayside.  At  Jaffa  we  enjoyed  the  novelty  of 
a  smooth,  calm  sea  when  we  embarked, — something  so  un- 
usual in  our  experience  that  we  make  a  note  of  it.  The 
voyage  on  the  "  Vorwarts  "  was  delightfully  pleasant.  In 
the  evening,  as  the  shades  of  night  came  down  upon  the 
hills  of  Judea  and  the  plains  of  Sharon,  shutting  off  the 
Holy  Land  from  our  sight,  we  sailed  away  from  Jaffa,  and 
early  next  morning  cast  anchor  at  Port  Said  and  were 
again  in  the  land  of  the  Pharaohs. 

Since  the  writer  visited  Egypt  in  1891-2,  in  company 
with  Brother  Lahman,  a  railway  has  been  constructed  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Suez  Canal  to  Ismailia,  so  that  the 
former  port  is  now  connected  with  Cairo  by  rail.  A  fresh- 
water canal  has  also  been  completed,  and  Port  Said  now  has 
a  plentiful  supply  of  Nile  water.  Such  is  the  fertilizing 
power  of  the  water  of  the  river  of  P>g)'pt  that  it  rapidly 
turns  the  desert  into  a  garden,  and  the  city  can  now  boast 
of  beautiful  gardens  and  umbrageous  groves  of  palm, 
acacia,  and  pepper  trees. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


ro7t  Said —  Railway  to  Cairo  —  To  the  Pyramids  —  Camel  Train  — 
Farmers  at  Work —  Casting  Seed  Upon  the  Water — A  Monopo- 
listic Sheik  —  A  Hard  Climb  —  On  the  Siamnit  —  Smelling  Salts 
and  the  Arabs  —  The  Shanie  of  Cai?-o  —  A  Street  Sleeper  —  On  to 
India  —  The  Red  Sea  —  Aden  and  the  Divers  —  The  Arabian  Sea 
—  The  Harbor  of  Bombay. 

Port  Said,  according  to  the  verdict  of  Rudyard  Kip- 
ling, is  the  wickedest  town  in  the  world.  "There  is  wicked- 
ness in  many  parts  of  the  world,  and  vice  in  all,  but  the 
concentrated  essence  of  all  the  iniquities  and  all  the  vices 
in  all  the  continents  finds  itself  at  Port  Said."  What  Dodge 
City  was  as  the  terminus  of  the  Santa  F6  railroad  on  our 
western  plain,  Port  Said  was,  and  more,  during  the  con- 
struction of  the  Suez  Canal.  Both  places  have  changed  for 
the  better,  and  Port  Said  now  puts  on  airs  of  semirespect- 
ability,  and  is  perhaps  not  beyond  Paris  in  vice  and  iniq- 
uity. 

The  railway  from  Port  Said  to  Ismailia  is  built  on  the 
African  side  of  the  canal.  To  the  west  are  the  sand-bor- 
dered lakes  of  Bittir,  where  all  the  day  long,  o\'er  desert 
sand  and  salt  water,  play  the  most  beautiful  mirages  in  the 
world.  At  Ismailia  the  train  stops  for  lunch,  and  then  a 
long,  dusty  ride  in  a  rumbling  train, — over  a  hot,  sandy  des- 
ert, past  Tel-el-Kebir,  where  the  British  army  surprised  the 
forces  of  Arabi  and  ended  the  war  in  Eg\pt,  and  where  the 
Elder  and  I  found  ourselves  after  being  lost  on  the  desert 
and  wading  the  salt  marsh  near  the  town, — brings  us  to  the 

borders   of   the    land    of   Goshen.     How   beautiful  are  the 

(204) 


THE    GREAT    PYRAMIDS.  20$ 

green  fields  after  the  desert.  We  enjoy  things  in  this  life 
by  contrast,  and  if  you  want  to  enjo)'  the  verdure  of  nature 
to  the  full,  cross  a  desert  first.  At  six  in  the  evening  the 
train  rumbles  into  the  station  at  Cairo,  and  after  running 
the  gauntlet  of  donkey  boys  and  cabs  we  are  again  comfort- 
ably lodged  in  the  Khedival  Hotel,  w  itli  the  windows  of  our 
rooms  facing  the  Ezbekiyeh  gardens. 

Our  second  visit  to  Cairo,  the  one  oriental  capital  of 
the  world,  enabled  us  to  revisit  with  increased  interest  and 
profit  many  places  of  such  importance  that  thousands  of 
travelers  from  all  parts  of  the  world  annually  flock  to 
Egypt  to  see  and  admire  them.  We  saw  again  with  re- 
newed interest  the  great  pjramids  of  Gizeh,  the  sphinx  and 
its  ancient  temple  but  recently  recovered  from  its  sandy 
tomb,  Heliopolis  with  its  lone  obelisk  marking  the  site  of 
the  Cit\'  of  the  Sun  where  Joseph  married  his  wife,  the  isle 
of  Rhoda  between  the  two  banks  of  the  Nile  where  Pha- 
raoh's daughter  found  and  loved  and  saved  the  infant  Mo- 
ses, the  ancient  tree  under  which  Joseph  and  Mary  rested 
with  the  "Babe  of  Bethlehem"  when  they  fled  from  the 
wrath  of  Herod  to  the  land  of  Egypt,  the  Egyptian  Museum 
founded  by  Marietta  Bey  where  lie  in  state  the  royal  mum- 
mies of  Rameses  H.,  the  Pharaoh  of  the  oppression,  his 
father  Seti  I.,  and  his  grandfather  Rameses  I.,  and  mosques 
howling  dervishes,  streets  and  bazaars. 

A  da}'  was  spent  very  pleasantly  in  an  exclusion  to  the 
great  pyramids.  I  went  along,  for  the  more  one  sees  of  the 
pyramids  the  more  he  wants  to  see  of  them.  Not  that  I 
cared  to  climb  to  the  top  of  Cheops  again,  for  one  ascent  is 
about  all  any  one  cares  to  make,  but  I  wanted  to  look  upon 
the  great,  dignified  structure  again  and  wonder,  and  admire. 
Hassan,  the  faithful  coachman  who  took  us  out  two  years 
ago,  was  ready  in  the  early  morning  with  carriages,  and  our 


206 


(IIKIU.lNc;    THE    GLOBE. 


liost  of  the  Khcdival  stocked  the  lunch  basket  with  abun- 
dant store  of  ajipetizing  food.  A  delightful  dri\c  of  sc\H-n 
miles  through  the  streets  of  Cairo,  across  the  great  Nile 
bridge  and  thence  over  an  excellent  road,  as  level  as  a  floor 
and  densely  shaded  with  acacia  trees,  brought  us  to  the  des- 
ert; then  a  strong  jnill  up  a  steep,  sandy  road,  and  we  are  at 
the  base  of  Cheops. 


A    CAMEL    TRAIN. 


On  the  way  out  we  met  long  strings  of  camels,  heavily 
burdened,  making  their  way  solemnly  and  silently  toward 
the  city.  The  animals  walk  single  file  and  from  ten  to 
twenty  are  tied  together  with  ropes.  As  we  were  passing 
one   of  these   heavy-laden   camel   trains,   the   last   camel,   a 


EGYPTIAN    FARMERS.  207 

frisky  youngster,  became  frightened  and  ran  around  one  of 
the  trees  on  the  border  of  the  road.  The  train  moved  on 
and  the  rope  around  the  neck  of  the  young  camel  drew  it 
tight  against  the  trunk  of  the  tree.  For  a  brief  moment  it 
was  a  question  as  to  whether  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  the  rope 
or  the  camel's  neck  would  be  broken.  The  rope  gave  way 
and  the  problem  was  solved. 

The  farming  land,  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  was  nearly 
all  covered  with  the  overflowing  water  of  the  Nile,  which 
was  now  rapidly  receding.  The  higher  ground  was  already 
above  the  water,  and  on  this  the  Egyptian  farmers  were 
busily  engaged  in  sowing  wheat.  The  seed  was  scattered 
broadcast  on  the  soft  mud  and  was  covered  by  dragging 
over  it  a  pole  to  which  were  attached  branches  from  the 
palm  tree.  Ropes  were  attached  to  the  pole  and  two  men 
did  the  dragging.  The  seed  was  covered  by  smearing  the 
mud  over  it.  Treated  in  this  way  the  grain  sprouts  quickly 
in  the  hot  sun,  and  in  an  incredibly  short  time  the  field  is 
carpeted  with  verdure.  At  several  places  I  saw  men  sowing 
the  seed  in  the  shallow  water.  In  a  few  days  the  water  re- 
cedes and  the  seed  is  covered  by  a  deposit  left  upon  it  by 
the  muddy  water.  It  grows  quickly  and  produces  an  abun- 
dant crop.  From  this  custom,  as  old  as  the  days  of  Moses, 
of  sowing  seed  on  the  water  is  drawn  the  beautiful  words  of 
the  wise  man:  "Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters,  and  after 
many  days  it  will  return  unto  thee." 

"Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters, 

Ye  wh(i  have  but  scant  supply, 
Angel  eyes  will  watch  above  it; 

You  shall  find  it  by  and  by! 
He  who  in  his  righteous  balance 

Doth  each  human  action  weigh, 
Will  your  sacrifice  remember, 

Will  your  loving  deeds  repay. 


208 


f^IRDLIN'G    THE    GLOBE. 


"Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters, 

Ye  who  have  abundant  store, 
It  may  float  on  many  a  billow. 

It  may  strand  on  many  a  shore; 
You  may  think  it  lost  forever. 

But,  as  sure  as  God  is  true, 
In  this  life  or  in  the  other, 

It  will  yet  return  to  you." 


FARMERS    AT    WORK    IN    EGYPT. 


At  some  places,  where  it  was  highest,  the  ground  had 
already  become  dry  and  hard,  and  it  was  necessary  to  turn 
it  over  before  sowing  the  seed.  Instead  of  using  plows  a 
number  of  Arabs  armed  with  hoes  were  at  work  digging  up 
and  turning  over  the  soil.  Then  the  seed  was  sown  and 
covered  with  the  drag. 


THE    PYRAMIDS. 


209 


Upon  arrival  at  the  base  of  Cheops  you  must  deal  with 
the  sheik  of  the  pyramids,  who  has  a  monopoly  of  the  busi- 
ness. He  furnishes  you  guides,  for  which  service  he  charg- 
es you  twenty-five  cents.  He  w  ill  send  two  or  three  light- 
footed  Arabs  with  }'ou,  and  you  are  expected  to  give  each 
of  these  as  much  as  the  sheik  received,  of  which,  it  is  said, 


A   HARD  CLIMB.-PVRAMID    IX  EGYPT. 


he  exacts  a  large  percentage.  He  receives  quite  an  income 
from  the  toll  he  gathers  from  those  who  climb  Cheops.  Oiu' 
pilgrims  prepared  to  make  the  ascent,  and  after  much  noise 
and  confusion  among  the  would-be  guides  and  assistants 
they  set  off  for  the  top,  each  accompanied  by  two  nimble- 
footed  Arabs.  Having  made  the  ascent  once,  we  two  re- 
mained  comfortabl}'  seated   in   our   carriage    watching    our 


210  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

companions  toiling  upward  until  they  were  lost  to  sight  on 
the  summit.  The  camera  caught  a  picture  of  one  of  the 
pilgrims  on  the  upward  climb,  and  it  is  here  r-eproduced  so 
that  111)'  readers  may  know  that  pyramid  climbing  is  hard 
work. 

The  sellers  of  "antikas"  are  numerous  at  the  pyramids, 
and  \'ou  are  importuned  in  the  most  persistent  way  to  buy 
relics,  which  you  are  solemnly  and  positively  assured  were 
taken  from  the  tombs  of  the  Pharaohs.  Here  are  scarabs, 
lamps,  beads,  small  images  of  the  ancient  gods,  and  a  hun- 
dred other  things  offered  at  prices  to  suit  purchasers.  The 
prices  are  fixed  on  a  sliding  scale,  and  are  subject  to  vio- 
lent fluctuations,  depending  upon  the  merchant's  notion  of 
your  ignorance  of  the  real  value  of  the  object  offered  for 
sale.  He  will  offer  you  a  scarab  for  ten  dollars,  assuring 
you  that  it  is  four  thousand  years  old.  If  you  show  no  dis- 
position to  buy  he  comes  sliding  down  the  scale  until  }'Ou 
are  at  last  induced  to  take  the  thing  for  fifty  cents,  only  to 
learn  afterwards  that  }'ou  can  buy  all  the  scarabs  of  the 
same  kind  you  want  in  Cairo  at  from  five  to  ten  cents  each. 
These  articles  are  manufactured  and  offered  for  sale,  in 
these  degenerate  days,  by  a  degenerate  race,  as  real  objects 
of  antiquity,  and  so  skillfully  are  they  made  that  only  an 
expert  can  detect  the  fraud.  I  bought  a  scarab  for  twenty- 
five  cents  and  afterwards  compared  it  with  one  that  cost  ten 
dollars,  and  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  detect  any  differ- 
ence between  the  two. 

Our  carriage  was  the  center  of  a  crowd  of  merchants 
and  curious  Arabs,  who  came  to  sell  and  to  see.  My  wife 
had  with  her  a  bottle  of  smelling  salts.  It  had  been  pur- 
chased but  recently,  and  emitted  strong  fumes  of  ammonia. 
She  was  using  it  cautiously  for  a  slight  headache.  The 
descendants    of    Ishmael    are    exceedingly    inquisitive    an  J 


INQUISITIVE    ARABS. 


211 


superstitious,  and  those  who  stood  about  us  got  th.e  idea 
that  the  little  bottle  contained  a  charm  against  the  cholera, 
which  was  raging  in  some  parts  of  Egypt,  and  of  which  the 
natives  are  in  mortal  dread.  They  wanted  to  try  the  rem- 
edy, but  at  first  none  were  bold  enough  to  make  the  experi- 
ment.    At   length   a   fine-looking  fellow,  Ahmed  by  name, 


THE    PILGRIMS    ON    TOP    OF    CHEUPS. 


came  forward  and  took  a  strong,  deep  sniff  at  the  bottle. 
The  result  was  a  surprise  to  Ahmed  and  bordered  on  the 
ridiculous.  The  Arab's  head  was  thrown  back,  his  eyes 
filled  with  tears,  and  there  was  a  look  of  surprise  on  his  face 
that  always  comes  with  the  first  unexpected  experience. 
For  a  moment  he  was  at  a  loss  to  know  what  had  happened. 


212 


GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 


and  then  rccovcrin;^  liinisclf  he  wainily  recommended  the 
wonderful  cholera  cure  to  others  w  illi  such  success  that  a 
score  or  more  were  not  satisfied  until  thc\-  took  the  nictli- 
cine.  It  was  an  amusing  incident  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  had 
the  desired  effect. 

We   walked   around   the   p)Tamids   and    realized    again 
something  of  their  magnitude  and  dignit\-,  and  by  the  time 


MOUNTED    PILGRIMS. 


our  companions  came  down  from  the  summit  and  explored 
the  King's  Chamber  it  was  high  noun.  We  ate  our  lunch  in 
the  shade  of  Cheops,  grateful  for  the  shadow  of  the  great 
pile  in  a  weary  land.  Then  we  looked  at  the  Sphinx  again, 
and  the  great  granite  temple  between  its  paws.  The  pil- 
grims mounted  the  pyramid  camels  for  the  regulation  ride 


IMMORAL    CAIRO.  213 

over  the  sands  of  the  desert  and  then,  when  the  sun  was 
sinking  in  the  west  and  the  shades  of  evening  were  coming 
down,  we  drox'e  back  to  Cairo  well  pleased  with  the  da)'s 
outing. 

Cairo  is  a  great  winter  rt'sort  for  l^uropc.  It  is  said 
that  not  less  than  twent}-five  thousand  people  from  the 
North  spend  their  winter  here,  and  among  this  number  are 
many  Americans.  The  fashionable  hotels,  notably  Shep- 
heard's  and  the  New  Grand,  where  the  charges  range  from 
four  to  twelve  dollars  per  day,  are  crowded  during  the  win- 
ter months  with  wealthy  pleasure  seekers,  and  immense 
sums  of  mone\'  are  left  in  the  city  by  her  winter  guests. 

The  natives  of  Cairo,  never  noted  for  their  good  morals, 
are  not,  as  one  might  suppose  they  would  be,  made  better 
by  this  great  annual  influx  of  northern  civilization.  It 
might  and  ought  to  be  otherwise.  Is  not  northern  P.urope 
Christianized,  and  are  not  the  most  of  these  pleasure  seekers 
professed  followers  of  Christ?  One  would  naturally  sup- 
pose, at  the  point  of  contact  between  Islamism  and  Chris- 
tianity, that  a  marked  improvement  would  result.  And 
this  is  true  when  the  Christianity  is  real  and  the  Spirit  of 
Christ  pervades,  but  this  is  not,  as  a  rule,  the  kind  that 
comes  to  Cairo  with  millions  of  wealth  on  pleasure  bent. 
The  coffers  of  the  hotelkeepers  and  merchants  are  filled, 
but  resultant  immorality  and  vice  are  the  shame  of  the  fair 
city.  The  harlot  waits  not  for  the  darkness  of  night  to 
cover  her  shame,  but  in  the  open  daylight  follows  her  voca- 
tion, soliciting  patronage  in  the  streets  of  the  city.  Girls  of 
twelve,  mere  children  in  age,  but  old  in  sin  and  settled  and 
fixed  in  a  life  of  sin  and  shame,  accost  you  on  the  thorough- 
fares of  the  city,  and  man\'  there  are  who  go  after  the  ways 
of  strange  women.     "  Wheresoever  the  carcass  is,  there  will 


214 


GIRDLING    THK    GLOBE. 


the    eagles    be    gathered    together."     The    carrion    and    the 
vultures  both  abound  in  Cairo. 

Here  is  work  for  the  earnest  Christian  missionary,  and 
Dr.  Watson  and  his  noble  band  of  workers  are  doing  all 
they  can  to  stem  the  tide  of  evil.  But  it  is  hard  work. 
They  must   labor   not   onl\'   against  the    Moslem    faith,   but 


IN    THE    EZBEKIYEH    G.XRDENS,    CAIRO. 


against  the  immorality  and  sin  of  professed  Christians. 
The  task  seems  almost  a  hopeless  one.  And  yet,  in  the 
end,  the  religion  of  Jesus  must  prevail. 

The  condition  of  woman  in  Egypt  is  pitiable.  She  is 
as  much  a  slave  as  ever  were  the  negroes  of  our  South. 
She  has  no  rights  that  man  is  bound  to  respect,  and  is 
classed   as   an  animal  without   a   soul.     Harlotry   is   semi- 


WOMAN    A    SLAVE. 


215 


respectable.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  to  better  the  con- 
dition of  Egypt  is  to  free  the  women.  When  the  mothers 
and  daughters  are  free,  the  first  step  toward  the  regenera- 
tion of  Egypt  will  have  been  taken.  No  country  can  pros- 
per and  rise  to  true  greatness  when  women  are  held  in 
bondage  and  are  without  voice,  influence  and  respect. 


A  STREET  SLEEPER. 


In  front  of  our  hotel  is  the  park  known  as  the  Ezbeki- 
yeh  gardens,  containing  a  variety  of  rare  and  beautiful  trees 
and  shrubs  and  flowers.  In  the  center  of  the  garden  is  a 
beautiful  lake.  It  is  much  frequented  by  invalids  who 
spend  the  winter  in  Cairo  for  the  sake  of  their  health.  The 
garden  is  surrounded  by  an  iron  fence  and  an  ample   side- 


2l6  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

walk  borders  the  broad  street.  In  the  afternoon  the 
place  is  thronged  with  visitors  and  the  sidewalk  outside 
presents  a  busy  scene.  Passing-  aloni;-  one  afternoon  we 
noticed  a  bundle  lying  on  the  walk.  Closer  inspection  re- 
vealed the  fact  that  there  was  a  man  in  it.  He  had  laid 
his  bed  an.d  himself  down  on  llu-  sidewalk,  and  using  his 
mantle  for  a  covering"  was  enjoying  an  after  dinner  nap. 
His  bed  was  a  thin  mattress  composed  of  a  couple  of  narrow 
quilts.  This  is  a  common  sight  in  Cairo,  for  many  people 
of  the  lower  class  sleep  on  the  streets.  Upon  waking  they 
take  up  their  bed  and  go  their  way.  Not  only  in  Cairo,  but 
in  Jerusalem  as  well,  have  I  seen  men  carrying  their  beds 
about  the  streets;  and  one  is  forcibly  reminded  of  the  Mas- 
ter's command  to  the  palsied  man,  "  Arise,  take  up  thy  bed 
and  walk."  * 

A  visit  to  the  bazaars  in  Cairo  is  always  full  of  interest. 
The  bargaining,  the  bu}-ing  and  selling  and  manufacturing 
are  carried  on  in  the  open  street,  and  one  may  see  and  ad- 
mire as  one  passes  along.  The  conflict  betv/een  seller  and 
buyer  waxes  furious,  and  you  expect  to  see  them  come  to 
blows,  but  it  all  ends  peaceably.  But  the  old,  old  custom  of 
the  bu}'er  saying:  "  It  is  naught,  it  is  naught;  but  when  he 
is  gone  his  way,  then  he  boasteth/'j  is  as  common  in  all 
the  Bible  lands  to-day  as  it  was  when  the  wise  man  wrote. 
I  am  of  the  impression  that  this  habit  of  saying,  "  It  is 
naught,  it  is  naught,"  is  not  confined  alone  to  the  Orient. 
At  one  of  the  bazaars  we  witnessed  the  process  of  putting 
on  a  girl's  arms  rings  which  she  had  purchased  from  the 
dealer.  One  of  the  pilgrims  gave  his  impression  of  the 
scene  in  these  words: 

"  While  passing  along  the  street   we  came  in  front  of 


*Matt.  9:6. 
t  Prov.  20: 14. 


DONKEY    RIDING.  2l7 

one  of  the  stores  where  the  salesman  was  putting  wristlets 
over  a  young  girl's  hand.  As  they  were  solid  rings,  the 
wonder  to  us  was  how  he  would  get  them  over  the  hand, 
and  }'et  fit  tightl}'  after  they  were  on,  so  we  halted  to  see 
tlu-  operation.  Two  were  already  on  and  he  was  placing 
the  third  one.  This  he  did  by  squeezing  the  hand  so  hard 
tl  at  we  thought  he  would  unjoint  the  bones  and  smash  tlu' 
flesh.  Then  })lacing  the  ring  over  the  fingers  and  thumb,  he 
poured  oil  over  the  hand,  after  which  lie  caught  the  fingers 
with  liis  one  hand  and  with  the  other  forced  the  ring  over 
the  bulk  of  the  hand,  and  it  was  to  its  place.  The  opera- 
tion must  have  been  very  painful,  as  her  facial  expression 
indicated  most  excruciating  suffering.  We  tarried  until 
five  rings  were  placed  on  her  one  wrist,  and  we  were  made 
to  think.  What  a  terrible  tyrant  '  Madam  Fashion  '  is,  and 
what  willing  slaves  the  human  kind  are.  How  much  sacri- 
fice and  suffering  for  sin, — how  little  for  Christ!  Yes,  you 
say,  but  these  are  heathen.  Perhaps  so,  but  we  know  and 
have  seen  professing  Christians  do  more  hurtful,  sill)'  and 
sinful  things  than  these  poor,  untutored  heathen  do."* 

Uonkey  riding  is  one  of  the  enjoyable  pastimes  in  Cai- 
ro. The  donkey  boy,  bright  and  shrewd,  with  his  patient 
little  animal,  is  everywhere  present  and  always  at  }'our 
service.  He  will  follow  you  for  hours,  driving  the  donkey 
at  a  gallop  and  never  seems  to  tire.  The  donkey  and  the 
donkey  boy  are  an  institution  of  Cairo  and  nowhere  will 
you  find  better  donkejs  or  better  bo}'S  to  drive  them.  I 
spent  many  hours  threading  the  narrow  streets  of  the  city 
on  the  back  of  one  of  these  faithful  little  animals. 

Our  fourteen  days  in  Cairo  were  gone,  and  our  pilgrim 
band  was  to  be  broken.  Six  months  we  had  journeyed  to- 
gether   in    three    continents.     Now    brethren     Brumbaugh, 

*Eld.  H.  B.  Brumbaugli  in  Gospel  Messenger. 


2l8 


r.iRni.iNn  tuf.  hlobe. 


Myers  and  Bingaman  were  to  turn  their  faces  homeward, 
goin<^  by  way  of  Alexandria  and  Naples  to  New  York. 
Parting  with  friends  is,  under  the  most  favorable  circum- 
stances, not  pleasant.  When  the  separation  comes  in  a 
strange  land  among  strangers  it  is  a  most  trying  experience, 
and  I  thus  characterize  our  parting  at  Cairo.     In  the  early 


DONKEY    RIDING    IN    CAIRO. 


morning  we  met  in  our  room  in  the  hotel.  Brother  Myers 
read  the  ninety-first  Psalm,  and  then  we  all  knelt  down  and 
in  prayer  commended  ourselves  to  the  keeping  power  of 
God.  It  was  a  sacred,  solemn  season,  and  while  the  tears 
would  flow,  we  rose  from  our  knees  comforted  and  made 
stronger  for  what   was   pointed  out   as    the    path    of   duty. 


WATER    WHEEL. 


2ig 


Then  the  farewells  were   said,  and  we   parted,  possibly    to 
meet  no  more  in  this  world. 

From  Cairo  we  recrossed  the  land  of  Goshen  passing 
through  the  cholera-infected  city  of  Zagazig.  The  railway 
runs  along  the  great  fresh-water  canal  used  for  irrigating 
the  land.  At  many  places  the  water  wheels,  with  the  ox 
supplying  the  motive  power,  were  in  operation,  lifting  the 


WATER    WHEEL,    EGYPT. 


water  to  the  level  of  the  fields.  In  the  evening  we  reached. 
Ismailia  where  a  day's  wait  was  made  for  the  arrival  of  the 
steamer  for  India.  Here  the  unexpected  happened — a 
heavy  rainstorm  in  Egypt,  and  that  too  on  the  desert.  It  is 
such  an  unusual  thing  to  have  rain  here  that  the  houses  are 


220  GIRDI.lXr,    THE    GLOBE. 

!iv)t  built  for  such  a  contingency.  The  water  came  through 
tiic  roof  of  the  hotel,  antl  we  were  compelled  to  change 
(luiTters  a  number  of  times  in  order  to  keep  dry.  The  Suez 
aiul  the  fresh-water  canals,  furnishing  abundant  water  for 
c\ai)oration,  have  changed  the  cliiuatic  conditions  on  the 
desert.  Where  formerly  rainfall  was  unknown  it  now  occa- 
sional 1}'  occurs,  and  when  it  does  rain  it  comes  in  torrents. 
;\t  nine  P.  M.  the  steamer  arrived,  antl  we  were  soon  on 
board  and  c/i  route  for  India  and  home. 

The  traveler  who  crosses  the  Atlantic  Ocean  a*^^  this 
season  of  the  year  (December)  supplies  himself  with  heavy 
winter  clothing  and  makes  every  preparation  to  keep  warm. 
He  who  journeys  southward  on  the  Red  Sea  and  the  Indian 
Ocean,  bearing  close  down  upon  the  equator,  and  continues 
his  journey  to  India,  desires  the  best  methods  to  keep  cool. 
In  the  midst  of  winter  it  seems  odd  enough  to  have  a  sweat 
pad  under  your  hand  to  keep  the  perspiration  off  your  pa- 
per while  you  write.  Such  was  our  experience  on  our 
southward  journe\'. 

On  the  morning  of  Nov.  28,  1895,  the  "  Caledonia,"  with 
nearly  five  hundred  passengers,  steamed  out  of  the  southern 
end  of  the  Suez  Canal  and  entered  one  of  the  notable  seas 
of  the  Bible,  whose  waters  opened  for  the  safe  passage  of 
God's  people,  and  closed  as  quickly  upon  their  cruel  task- 
masters and  pursuers,  overthrowing  and  destroying  the  host 
of  the  King  of  Egypt.  From  the  entrance  of  the  sea  at 
Suez,  to  the  Straits  of  Babelmandeb  at  Aden,  where  we  en- 
ter the  Arabian  Sea  and  the  Indian  Ocean,  the  distance  is 
in  round  numbers  fourteen  hundred  miles.  This  is  the 
greatest  length  of  the  Red  Sea,  whilst  its  extreme  width 
does  not  exceed  two  hundred  miles.  This  body  of  water 
is  the  division  line  between  Asia  and  Africa,  and,  lying 
between    two   great  deserts,    the  temperature  is   very  high. 


SUEZ.  221 

It  is  the  hottest  zone  of  sea  and  land  on  the  globe,  except- 
ing the  Persian  Gulf  and  the  coast  of  Senegambia.  Even 
in  the  winter  months  the  mercury  ranges  as  high  as  lOO  de- 
grees in  the  shade.  In  midsummer  the  heat  is  simple- 
frightful,  and  many  who  undertake  the  \'oyage  at  that  sea- 
son of  the  year  are  overcome  by  the  intense  heat,  and  are 
buried  beneath  the  waves  of  the  sea.  Just  a  few  months 
ago  a  shipload  of  French  soldiers  was  returning  home 
from  Madagascar  by  this  route,  and  some  thirty  of  the 
poor  fellows  were  overcome  by  the  heat  and  were  buried 
at  sea. 

At  Suez  we  have  the  place  where  the  Israelites  passed 
through  the  sea,  and  not  far  awa\'  are  the  fountains,  or 
wells,  of  Moses.  I  visited  this  place  three  years  ago  in 
company  with  Brother  Lahman.  It  is  supposed  by  some  to 
be  the  bitter  water  of  Marah  where  the  Jews  murmured,  and 
they  longed  for  the  waters  and  fleshpots  of  Egypt.  It  is 
not  a  difficult  matter  to  go  back  in  the  imagination  thirty- 
three  hundred  years,  and  people  these  shores  with  the  es- 
caping Israelites.  Their  slavery  had  been  long  continued 
and  grievous  to  be  borne,  but  at  last  their  groanings  and 
cries,  forced  from  them  b)'  the  severit}'  of  their  bondage 
and  burdens,  came  up  before  God  and  were  heard,  and  the 
time  of  their  deliverance  had  come.  In  the  full  hope  of 
blessed  freedom,  six  hundred  thousand  men,  able-bodied 
and  strong,  besides  the  old  and  )oung,  the  women  and 
children,  stood  on  }onder  shore.  The\'  had  thus  far  es- 
caped from  the  land  of  bondage,  and  now  the\'  were  shut  in 
b\-  mountain  and  sea.  The  Egyptian  host  pressed  hard 
upon  them,  determined  to  recover  their  escaping  slaves  and 
take  them  into  bondage  again.  To  the  sons  of  Jacob  came 
quick  despondenc}-.  superseding  their  high  hopes.  When 
all  human  help  failed  the   Lord   opened   the  waters  of  the 


222  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

sea,  and  his  people  passed  throu<Th.  The  \va)'  of  escape 
became  the  way  of  destruction  to  their  pursuers.  How 
these  now  silent  shores  and  this  dark,  silent  sea  must  have 
resounded  on  that  sprini:,r  day,  so  long  ago,  to  the  glad 
shouts  of  the  victors,  intermingled  with  the  dying  groans 
and  curses  of  the  drowning  host!  How  the  song  of  Moses, 
and  the  loud  sounding  timbrel  in  the  hands  of  Miriam  rang 
out  over  "  Egypt's  dark  sea,"  for  "  Jehovah  had  tri- 
umphed, and  his  people  were  free." 

But  while  we  meditate  on  these  scenes  the  ship  passes 
on,  and  Suez,  the  wells  of  Moses,  and  the  place  of  crossing 
are  left  far  behind.  Before  midday  we  pass  the  insignifi- 
cant port  of  Tor,  to  which  a  line  of  small  Eg}'ptian  steam- 
ers carry  passengers  who  wish  to  visit  Mt.  Sinai  and  do  not 
care  to  make  the  desert  trip.  From  Tor  Mt.  Sinai  can  be 
reached  with  camels  in  two  dax's,  and  the  dangers  and  fa- 
tigue of  the  long  desert  route  ma\'  be,  in  part,  avoided. 
The  Sinaitic  range  of  mountains  is  in  full  sight  from  the 
ship,  but  the  Mountain  of  the  Law,  which  is  thirty-seven 
miles  awa}',  is  hid  from  view  by  the  intervening  hills.  But 
it  is  interesting  to  have  a  close  view  of  the  range  of  moun- 
tains from  one  of  the  peaks  of  which,  amidst  fire  and  smoke, 
and  thunders  and  lightnings,  the  law  of  God  was  given  to 
Moses.  It  has  long  been  one  of  our  desires  to  visit  Mt. 
Sinai,  but  it  is  not  likel)'  that  we  shall  ever  see  more  of  it 
than  was  visible  from  the  deck  of  the  "  Caledonia  "  as  we 
steamed  down  the  Red  Sea. 

The  only  other  place  of  general  interest  on  the  Red 
Sea  is  the  port  of  Jiddah.  Here  the  Mohammedans  land 
on  their  great  annual  pilgrimages  to  Mecca,  the  birthplace 
of  the  false  prophet,  which  is  sixt}'  miles  east.  Jiddah  has 
a  population,  including  the  small  villages  surrounding  it,  of 
about  forty  thousand.     It  has  an  interest   peculiar  to   itself 


PORT    OF   JIDDAH.  223 

because  it  is  one  of  the  breeding  places  of  the  Asiatic  chol- 
era. Shipload  after  shipload  of  pilgrims  is  landed  here 
from  India  and  other  parts  of  Asia.  They  bring  with 
them  the  germs  of  the  disease,  and  at  Jiddah  and  Mecca  it 
becomes  epidemic.  The  returning  pilgrims  carry  with 
them  the  cholera  germs  to  Eg)'pt,  Palestine,  and  Turkey 
in  Europe,  and  as  a  result  an  outbreak  of  the  scourge  oc- 
curs on  the  continent.  It  would  be  a  good  thing  if  the 
pilgrimages  were  either  entirely  prohibited,  or  else  placed 
under  such  sanitary  regulations  as  would  prevent  the  chol- 
era from  being  carried  to  all  parts  of  the  world. 

As  we  continue  our  journey  southward,  nearing  the 
equator,  the  heat,  becomes  intense,  the  mercury  ranging 
from  85  degrees  to  95  degrees  in  our  staterooms.  It  is  a 
difificult  matter  to  keep  cool.  In  the  diningroom  great  fans 
or  punkahs,  as  they  are  called,  are  swinging  back  and  forth, 
making  it  more  comfortable  than  it  otherwise  would  be. 
We  are  now  some  two  thousand  miles  south  and  eight  thou- 
sand miles  east  of  Chicago,  and  realize  more  than  ever 
before  that  our  planet  is  very  large.  I  thought  of  the  boy 
who  had  left  his  home  for  the  first  time  and  had  traveled 
a  hundred  miles  westward.  When  he  came  home  he  had 
much  to  say  about  what  he  had  seen,  but  was  most  im- 
pressed with  the  bigness  of  the  earth.  One  day  he  ex- 
pressed himself  in  these  words,  "  I  tell  you,  father,  if  the 
world  is  as  large  the  other  way  as  it  is  this,  it's  awful  big." 
We  have  something  of  the  same  feeling;  having  traveled, 
at  this  writing,  something  like  sixteen  thousand  miles 
since  we  left  home,  and  having  nearly  as  many  more 
miles  to  travel  before  getting  home  again,  we  are  im- 
pressed with  the  thought  that  the  world  is  big.  With 
the  sense  of  the  magnitude  of  the  globe  comes  incensed 


224  r.lKDIINT,    THE    GTORF. 

rcxcrcncc  Idt  the  Almighty  Creator  who  math'  the  heavens 
and  the  earth,  and   holds  them  in   the'  hollow  of  his   hand. 

On  Sunday  me)rning,  Dec.  I,  we  cast  anchor  at  Aden, 
tlie  coaling  station  for  steamers  going  to  India.  No  sooner 
is  the  ship  at  rest  than  it  is  surrounded  with  small  boats 
filled  with  men  and  bo\-s  whose  onl}'  clothing  is  a  piece  of 
white  cloth  wrapped  about  the  loins.  These  are  the  j)ro- 
iessional  divers  of  Aden.  A  dozen  of  them  sprang  into  the 
water  shouting,  "  Hab  a  dive,  sir,  hab  a  dive,  sir?  Throw  in 
money,  )'Ou  plenty,  me  none."  A  dozen  black  heads  are 
bobbing  about  in  the  water  when  a  passenger  throws  a  sil- 
ver coin  into  the  sea.  At  once  the  heads  disappear  and 
twent\-four  feet  flash  upward  in  the  air  and  then  go  down 
after  the  heads.  For  what  seems  a  long  time,  all  is  silent, 
then  one  b\-  one  the  divers  come  to  the  surface,  while  one, 
more  fortunate  than  his  fellows,  holds  the  coveted  piece  of 
silver  in  his  hand,  shouting  in  triumph,  "  Me  hab  him,  sir." 
Then  the  shouting  is  renewed  and  the  same  scene  is  enact- 
ed over  and  over  again.  The  divers  climb  up  the  ropes  and 
clamber  over  the  rail  of  the  ship,  and  then,  like  a  shot,  go 
down  into  the  water  thirty  feet  below.  They  dive  down  on 
one  side  of  the  ship  and  come  up  on  the  other,  and  as  the 
"Caledonia"  draws  twenty-four  feet  of  water  and  is  about 
sixty  feet  wide,  it  is  not  an  easy  feat  to  accomplish. 

The  merchants  of  the  town  came  on  board  the  ship,  of- 
fering for  sale  ostrich  feathers  and  plumes,  tiger  and  leop- 
ard skins,  baskets  filled  with  the  most  beautiful  sea  shells, 
Arab  spears  anci  swords,  with  numberless  trinkets  of  curious 
make  and  fine  workmanship.  These  were  pressed  upon  the 
passengers  in  the  most  persistent  manner.  The  merchants 
were  for  the  most  part  Jews,  and  they  made  every  effort  to 
sell  their  wares.  The  descendants  of  Jacob  are  scattered  to 
the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth,  and  we  never  meet  them  in 


THE    CALF.n(1XT.\.  225 

ovil"  tiM\els  witliMiii  thiiilxin^  Iiow  wdiulcrfully  the  Lord  has 
dealt  \\illi  thcni,  and  liow,  in  their  dispersion,  the  Scrii)tures 
are  so  litcrall}'  tidfilled. 

In  a  few  hours  we  are  olT  from  y\den  and  passing- 
throut^h  the  straits.  We  took  our  course  a  h'ttle  north  of 
east  for  Homba\'.  A  stiff  breeze,  know  n  to  seamen  as  the 
northwest  monsoon,  was  blowini^,  but  this  made  the  vo^-age 
\cr\-  pleasant.  Indeed  the  entire  journey  from  Ismailia  to 
FxMiibay,  with  the  exception  of  the  hot  da\s  and  nights  on 
the  Red  Sea,  was  all  that  could  be  desired.  A  good  ship, 
smooth  seas,  a  balmy  breeze  and  good  companionship  fell 
to  our  lot  all  the  wa\-. 

The  "  Caledonia  "  is  the  largest  and  best  ship  of  the 
Peninsular  and  Oriental  Company.  The  ventilation  is  as 
nearly  perfect  as  it  is  possible  to  be  made.  Great  funnels  at- 
tached to  pipes  and  portholes  force  the  fresh  air  into  all  parts 
of  the  boat,  and  there  is  none  of  the  peculiar  bilge-water 
smell  so  common  on  many  of  the  Atlantic  steamers.  The 
staterooms  and  cabins  are  large  and  handsomely  furnished. 
Instead  of  the  box  bunk,  iron  bedsteads  with  wire  mattress- 
es are  used,  and  they  are  ver\'  comfortable.  The  appoint- 
ments of  the  ship  are  in  ever\-  respect  most  excellent.  In  a 
word,  the  "Caledonia  "  is  a  perfect  model  of  all  that  mod- 
ern skill  and  money  can  d()  in  shipbuilding. 

We  secured  second-class  cabins  and  found  them  most 
comfortable,  while  the  food  was  all  that  could  be  desired. 
At  half  past  six  in  the  morning  coffee,  or  tea,  as  you  pre- 
ferred, was  brought  to  the  staterooms.  At  half  past  eight 
we  had  breakfast  in  the  large  dining-saloon.  The  dinner 
hour  was  fixed  at  one  o'clock.  Then  at  four  P.  M.  there 
was  tea  and  biscuits  for  those  who  desired  them,  and  at  half 
past    six  came  the   supper    hour.     An    abundance    of  well- 


226  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

cooked  and  most  excellent  food  was  served,  while  fruit  was 
to  be  had  at  all  of  the  meals. 

We  found  in  the  second  cabin  a  very  respectable  and 
congenial  class  of  people.  They  were  exceedingly  well  be- 
haved and  very  kind  and  sociable.  Indeed,  from  our  own 
personal  experience,  we  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that,  as  a 
rule,  much  more  sociability  is  manifested  among  the  sec- 
ond-cabin passengers  than  those  of  the  first.  Of  course,  in 
the  first  cabin,  on  board  an  East  India  steamer,  will  be 
found  more  of  the  aristocracy  of  wealth  and  title  than  on 
the  Atlantic,  and  people  of  this  class  are  exclusive.  At  our 
end  of  the  ship  there  was  a  social,  friendly  feeling  among 
the  passengers  that  helped  to  make  the  time  pass  pleasant- 
ly. Several  of  the  first-cabin  passengers  spent  a  good  deal 
of  time  with  us,  and  one  of  them  expressed  her  pleasure 
and  said,  '.'You  do  enjoy  yourself  here.  At  the  other  end 
of  the  ship  we  all  try  to  see  who  can  dress  the  finest  and  ap- 
pear the  grandest." 

The  expense  of  traveling  in  the  East  is  much  higher 
than  in  the  West.  From  New  York  to  Bremen,  by  the  best 
steamers  of  the  North  German  Lloyd,  second-cabin  passage 
cost  us  sixty  dollars,  and  the  distance  is  three  thousand, 
five  hundred  miles,  whilst  our  tickets  from  Ismailia  to  Bom- 
bay, the  distance  being  a  trifle  less,  were  one  hundred  and 
sixty-five  dollars  apiece. 

We  had  in  our  company  some  thirty  missionaries,  all  of 
them  on  their  way  to  India  to  labor  among  the  heathen. 
Some  of  them  had  spent  many  years  in  India  and  had  been 
at  home  on  furloughs,  and  were  now  returning  to  their  work 
again.  Others  had  left  home  and  friends  for  the  first  time, 
and  were  going  into  untried  fields  to  labor  for  the  uplifting 
of  a  nation  of  idolaters.  We  formed  the  acquaintance  of  a 
number   of   missionaries    who    had    worked   in   India   many 


QUAKER    MISSIONARY.  227 

years.  We  made  the  best  of  our  opportunities  and  learned 
some  things  about  mission  work  among  the  heathen  that 
may  be  helpful  to  us  in  our  fields  of  labor  in  the  future. 
And  those  with  whom  we  talked  very  kindly  gave  us  much 
valuable  information  of  a  practical  kind,  which  we  prize 
very  highly  indeed. 

The  same  evening  we  went  on  board  the  steamer  at  Is- 
mailia  one  of  the  passengers  approached  us  and  asked 
whether  we  were  not  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends. 
We  soon  learned  that  he  was  a  Quaker  missionary,  Mr.  T. 
by  name,  sent  out  by  the  Friends  of  England.  He  and  his 
wife  had  been  in  India  six  )ears,  and  were  returning  from 
their  first  furlough.  He  told  us  of  the  successes  and  the 
failures,  of  the  encouragements  and  discouragements  of  the 
missionary.  He  also  gave  us  an  insight  into  the  life  and 
character  of  the  people  of  India,  which  we  very  much  ap- 
preciated. We  also  met  Miss  Carroll,  of  Joliet,  Illinois. 
She  had  spent  a  year  and  a  half  at  home,  and  was  returning 
to  her  work  among  the  women  in  Bombay  where  she  had 
spent  five  years.  She  had  been  reading  about  our  travels, 
and  said  she  thought  she  knew  us  when  we  came  aboard  the 
ship.  We  felt  quite  at  home  with  each  other  at  once,  and 
formed  a  very  pleasant  acquaintance  with  her  and  her  trav- 
eling companion,  Miss  Dart,  of  Kansas  City,  who  was  going 
to  India  as  a  medical  missionary. 

At  ten  in  the  morning  some  forty  of  the  passengers 
met  in  the  lower  dining-saloon  where  an  hour  was  spent  in 
Bible  readings.  To  us  these  exercises  were  always  enjoy- 
able and  profitable.  They  were  opened  and  closed  with 
singing  and  prayer.  On  the  great  deep  it  was  good  to 
study  God's  Book,  and  to  commit  and  commend  our  all  to 
the  keeping  power  of  him  who  holdeth  the  winds  and  sea  in 
his  hands. 


228  CIRDl.INc;     rilF".    (iLOBE. 

We  had  iti  our  Bil^lc  class  Ouakers,  Methodists,  Presby- 
terians, Bajitists,  Episcopalians,  Salvation  Army  officers, 
and  those  of  our  own  faith.  W  hilc  these  different  denom- 
inations were  all  represented  there  was  no  clashin<:^-  of  opin- 
ion. In  one  thin<;^  they  had  a  common  bond  of  union. 
They  had  all  left  their  homes  to  labor  amon*;-  tlie  heathen, 
and  for  the  time  they  were  thrown  together  on  board  the 
ship  they  made  the  most  of  their  agreements  and  the  least 
of  their  differences. 

Among  the  second-cabin  passengers  was  Booth  Tucker, 
of  the  Salvation  Army,  Gen.  Booth's  son-in-law.  He  at  one 
time  had  a  lucrative  position  as  India  Commissioner  under 
the  British  government.  He  resigned  his  place  and  began 
preaching  to  the  natives.  Ten  years  ago  he  was  arrested 
for  marching  and  preaching  in  the  streets  of  Bombay.  The 
judges  sentenced  him  to  a  term  of  imprisonment  at  hard 
labor,  and  then  called  him  before  them  and  said  they  would 
commute  his  sentence  if  he  would  promise  to  give  up 
preaching  on  the  streets.  His  answer  was  characteristic  of 
the  man:  "If  you  were  to  put  a  rope  about  m\'  neck  and 
threaten  to  hang  me  the  next  minute  I  would  not  give  up 
my  work."  He  served  out  his  sentence  and  then  went  to 
preaching  again.  He  tramped  through  the  country  bare- 
foot, dressed  in  native  costmne,  and  told  the  people  the 
story  of  the  Cross.  He  speaks  twelve  languages  and  has 
gone  all  over  India,  east  and  west,  north  and  south,  and 
is  perhaps  better  known  among  the  natives  than  any  other 
man  in  the  country.  As  a  result  of  his  persistent  labors, 
thousands  of  the  heathens  gave  up  idol  worship  and  ac- 
cepted his  teaching.  Zeal,  earnestness,  and  self-sacrifice 
are  characteristic  of  the  man,  and  without  these  qualities 
no  one  can  succeed  in   mission   work. 

As  already  stated,  we  had  much  conversation  wilii   Mr. 


REFUSED   TO    DANCE.  22$ 

T.,  the  Quaker  missionan',  not  onl\  in  regard  to  iiiissionary 
work,  but  as  to  the  progress  being  made  by  tlie  Society  of 
Friends.  As  we  hold  alike  to  peace  principles,  plain  dress- 
ing and  some  other  points,  we  had  some  things  in  common 
to  draw  us  together.  I  noticed  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  did 
not  wear  the  well-known  Quaker  form  of  dress,  and  he  in- 
formed me  that  the  English  Friends  had  entirel)'^  given  up 
the  form,  but  insisted  ver\-  strongly  on  plain  dressing,  plain 
speech  and  plain  living  as  Bible  principles.  In  answer  to 
the  question,  "Since  you  have  given  up  the  Quaker  form  of 
dress,  how  has  your  society  succeeded  in  maintaining  plain 
dressing?"  he  said,  "The  question  is  somewhat  difficult  to 
answer;  there  are  alway.s  some  who  go  to  extremes,  and  we 
can  hardly  restrain  them."  It  was  apparent  that  in  giving 
up  the  form  the  principle  went  with  it. 

At  this  juncture  of  the  conversation  the  wife  of  the 
missionary  came  up  and  joined  us.  She  was  dressed  quite 
as  fashionably  as  any  of  the  lady  missionaries  on  board  the 
steamer  and  wore  three  gold  rings,  one  of  them  with  a 
small  diamond  set.  Further  talk  on  the  subject  I  found 
was  embarrassing  to  them,  but  Mr.  T.  explained  that  the 
rings  were  gifts  from  ver)'  dear  friends  and  were  worn  as 
keepsakes.  On  another  part  of  the  deck  some  of  the 
young  people  were  dancing,  and  a  young  man  came  to 
where  we  were  and  invited  Mrs.  T.  to  join  them.  She  de- 
clined, and  when  he  had  gone  away  she  said  rather  indig- 
nant!}', "What  did  he  mean  b}'  asking  me  to  dance?  What 
does  he  take  me  for?"  Then  after  a  moment's  thought  she 
said,  "Well,  I  am  ver\-  sure  of  on  2  thing;  if  I  had  been 
dressed  in  the  good  old  Quaker  garb  I  should  not  have 
been  asked  to  join  the  dancers."  And  here  our  conversa- 
tion closed. 

The   ila)'s   of  our   voyage   on  the  Arabian   Sea   passed 


230  GIRDLING    THP:    GLOBE. 

a\\a\-  like  a  dream.  The  weather  was  fine,  the  ship  one  of 
the  best,  the  company  agreeable,  the  da}-s  clear  and  bright 
and  the  nights  delightfully  cool  and  pleasant.  And  now, 
on  the  morning  of  Dec.  5,  in  the  distance  is  to  be  discerned 
the  dim  outline  of  the  coast  of  India.  At  ii  A.  M.  we  cast 
anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Bombay  and  another  of  our  long 
sea  voyages  is  ended,  as  is  also  this  chapter. 


< 

o 
pq 

H 

o 

W 

Q 


CHAPTER  IX. 


./  IWhoine  to  Bombay  —  A  Modern  City — TIic  Parsis  —  Firewor- 
skipt'fs  —  "  T/ie  Restaurant  of  the  Vultures  "  —  Towers  of  Silence  — 
Old  Ronibay — The  Bazaars  —  Full  feweled  Women  —  Fxcessii'e 
fewelry  —  Rings  in  the  Ears  and  Nose  —  Rings  on  Fingers  and 
Toes  —  Pa>i  Chewing  Versus   Tobacco. 


'A 


We  were  not  to  land  at  Bombay  without  first  having  a 
warm  greeting  and  a  hearty  welcome  to  the  land  of  Hindu- 
ism. Brother  W.  B.  Stover,  in  charge  of  the  mission  at  Bul- 
sar,  bronzed  by  the  heat  of  India's  sun  came  on  board  the 
"  Caledonia  "  and  bade  us  welcome.  We  were  rejoiced  to 
see  him.  When  last  heard  from  he  was  lying  in  the  hospital 
sick  with  a  fever.  His  illness  was  of  a  very  serious  charac- 
ter, and  as  we  had  not  heard  from  him  for  a  month  we  were 
all  the  more  anxious  to  see  him.  As  may  be  imagined,  our 
meeting  was  a  pleasant  one.  The  Lord  had  raised  our 
brother  up,  and  we  rejoiced  and  gave  God  thanks.  Brother 
Stover  took  charge  of  us.  Entering  a  steam  launch,  we 
were  taken  ashore.  With  a  mere  formal  examination  our 
baggage  was  released  by  the  custom  house  officers,  and  we 
were  taken  to  Mrs.  Brigg's  Temperance  Hotel,  where  we 
spent  several  weeks  very  pleasantly. 

The  traveler  who  comes  to  Bombay  for  the  first  time  is 
sure  to  be  surprised.  He  has  read  of  the  city  and  knows 
that  not  far  from  a  million  souls  dwell  within  its  borders, 
and  that  in  some  respects  it  equals  some  of  the  more  preten- 
tious capitals  of  Europe  and  the  United  States.  But  some- 
how in  his  mind  he  associates  Bomba)'  with  India,  and  In- 
dia with  heathendom,   and  he  is  not   prepared  for  tlie   fine 

(233) 


234  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

modern  city — more  English  than  oriental — which  he  enters 
upon  landing  from  the  steamer. 

This  was  our  experience.  We  had  in  mind  the  straw- 
covered  mud  huts  of  the  natives,  and  the  lack  of  civilization 
among  the  people  of  which  we  had  so  often  read.  These 
things  are  so  largely  dwelt  upon  b)'  imaginative  writers  that 
we  were  not  prepared  for  what  we  saw.  We  landed  on  a 
handsomely  constructed  stone  pier,  with  custom  house  ar- 
rangements almost  perfect  and  much  more  convenient  than 
we  have  in  New  York.  The  native  officers  speak  English 
fluently,  and  are  polite  and  accommodating.  In  a  very 
short  time  we  are  through  the  customs  and  on  our  way  to 
our  hotel.  We  pass  through  broad,  shaded  avenues  and 
streets  with  handsome  buildings  on  both  sides,  and  with  a 
street  railway  system  equal  to  the  best  at  home,  for  it  is 
owned  and  operated  by  an  American  company.  Then  there 
are  beautiful  architectural  designs  in  which  is  found  a  pleas- 
ant mixture  of  the  Swiss  and  Hindu  style.  Among  the 
larger  buildings  are  the  magnificent  railway  station — the 
pride  of  India,  and  well  it  may  be,  for  one  sees  nothing  to 
excel  it  either  at  home  or  abroad, — the  university,  with  its 
great  clock  tower,  the  courts  of  justice,  the  town  hall,  tlie 
general  postoffice,  the  government  buildings,  and  scores  of 
other  structures  with  a  happy  blending  of  different  styles  of 
architecture.  Revisiting  India  after  many  years'  absence, 
Sir  Edwin  Arnold  said,  "  I  left  Bombay  a  town  of  ware- 
houses and  offices;  I  find  her  a  city  of  parks  and  palaces." 
This  of  the  New  Bombay,  for  there  is  the  older  native  city 
where  the  tide  of  "  Asiatic  humanity  ebbs  and  flows  "  day 
by  day,  which  we  hope  to  visit  and  describe  hereafter. 

Bombay,  as  already  intimated,  contains  a  population  of 
nearly  a  million,  and  these  are  divided  as  to  religious  belief 
about  as  follows: 


■•'i^r'S. 


O 

a 
< 


THE    TARSIS.  23/ 

Hindus, 560,000       Christians, 50,000 

Mohammedans, 60,000      Jains, 30,000 

Parsis, 50,000       Jews, 6,000 

The  rest  of  the  population  is  composed  of  lUiddhists, 
Rrahmans  and  smaller  subdixisions  of  the  Indian  famil)'. 
Placing  the  population  in  round  numbcrs'at  one  million,  it 
will  be  noticed  that  only  one;  in  twenty  is  set  down  as  a 
Christian,  and  we  are  told  by  the  missionaries  that  many 
of  these  are  Christians  only  in  name.  How  apparent  it  is 
from  these  facts  that  but  little  has  as  }et  been  done  toward 
the  conversion  of  this  great  gatewa\-  to  India,  and  that 
many  )ears  must  elapse  before  the  three  hundred  million 
heathen  in  this  land  will  accept  the  "Light  of  the  World" 
as  their  Savior! 

As  a  rule  one  is  apt  to  speak  first  of  what  impresses 
him  most,  and  so  first  of  all  I  give  an  account  of  what 
most  impressed  me  in  Bombay, — the  people  known  as  the 
Parsis,  It  is  always  dif^cult  to  write  of  a  people  with  whom 
we  have  but  slight  acquaintance,  and  especialU'  is  this 
true  v/hen  the  writer  is  wholly  unacquainted  with  their  lan- 
guage. Generalizing  from  a  few  facts  is  not  safe.  It  does 
well  enough  when  it  hits  the  truth,  but  it  so  often  misses 
that  the  careful  writer  hesitates  to  use  it  too  freely.  Fortu- 
natel)-  for  me,  the  Parsis  speak  English  fluently  and  are  al- 
ways ready  to  speak  of  their  belief.  Then  I  have  had  some 
opportunity  to  study  their  peculiar  belief,  having  read  }^ears 
ago  the  Sacred  Books  of  the  East. 

Among  the  various  classes  of  native  people  one  meets 
on  the  streets  of  Bombay  the  Parsis  are  by  all  odds  the 
most  interesting.  They  dress  better,  are  better  educated, 
are  well  to  do,  many  of  them  being  very  wealthy,  si)eak 
English  fluently;  and  it  may  be  said  that  they  are  the  peers 
of    any    class    in    India.       The    n,en    wear  clothing,   made 


238  GIRDLING    THK    GLOBE. 

somewhat  after  the  prevailing  European  styles,  over  which 
is  put  on  the  sadora,  or  sacred  shirt,  of  white  cotton  gauze. 

The  head  is  covered  with  a.  peculiar  shaped  stiff  hat,  or 
cap,  without  brim  or  rim.  The  women  are  dressed  in 
flowing  robes,  with  the  bright  colored  sari,  a  strip  of  cloth  a 
yard  wide  and  six  yards  long,  thrown  over  the  head  and 
shoulders.  These  are  of  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  with 
rose,  saffron,  olive,  seagreen,  sapphire,  and  many  other 
bright  tints  added.  A  group  of  Parsi  ladies  presents  a 
gorgeous  picture  on  the  streets.  Their  glossy  black  hair, 
literally  as  black  as  the  raven's  wing,  covered  in  part  with  a 
close  fitting  white  cloth,  their  fair  complexion, — they  are  as 
white  as  many  of  the  Caucasian  race, — and  their  finely-cut 
features,  make  them  a  handsome  people. 

The  Parsis  formerly  inhabited  Persia,  and  are  the  mod- 
ern followers  of  Zoroaster.  They  are  commonly  known  as 
fireworshipers  and  hold  to  one  of  the  ancient  religions  that 
have  come  down  to  modern  times.  The  Zend-Avesta,  their 
sacred  book,  is  traced  back  to  600  B.  C,  and  Zoroaster  is 
believed  to  have  lived  about  the  same  time  that  Moses  led 
the  Israelites  out  of  Eg\-pt.  His  followers  hold  the  four 
elements — fire,  air,  earth  and  water — sacred,  but  fire  is  the 
most  sacred  of  all.  The  sacred  "  fire  is  never  to  be  allowed 
to  go  out.  Its  altar  must  be  kept  pure;  it  is  a  heinous  sin 
to  pollute  the  sacred  element  in  any  way  whatever."  Ev- 
erything good  is  to  be  worshiped,  and  prayers  are  offered  to 
human  souls,  animals,  vegetables,  springs  of  water,  rivers, 
mountains,  the  earth,  the  sun,  the  sky,  the  moon  and  stars, 
and  other  things  without  number.  Evil  prevails,  but  finally 
it  shall  be  overcome  and  slain.  "  Then  comes  the  perpetu- 
ation of  life.  The  fair  creation  that  had  been  slain  by  the 
fiend  revives;  the  good  live  in  a  renovated  world;  and 
everlasting  joy  prevails.' 


Parsi    Girls. 


PARSI    FUNERAL.  24 1 

When  the  Persian  empire  was  overthrown  b)-  the  Sara- 
cens, A.  D.  650,  the  Zoroastrians  were  persecuted  and  a 
luunber  of  them  fled  to  India,  where  they  found  protection, 
but  were  more  or  less  persecuted  until  the  English  occupa- 
tion. The  British  government  protects  all  religions  alike. 
It  ma}-  be  stated  as  a  curious  fact  that  the  Queen  of 
England  has  more  Mohammedan  subjects  than  the  sultan  of 
Turkey.  The  fireworshipers  number  now  about  sixty  thou- 
sand and  form  an  important  factor  in  Bombay. 

The  Parsis'  belief  that  fire,  earth  and  water  are  sacred 
elements,  leads  them  to  a  peculiar  method  of  disposing  of 
their  dead.  As  soon  as  the  spirit  has  fled,  the  bod}-  is  con- 
sidered unclean,  so  unclean  indeed  that  to  burn  it  would 
render  the  fire  impure,  and  to  bury  it  would  pollute  the 
earth.  They  therefore  expose  the  bodies  of  their  dead  to 
be  devoured  b\-  birds  of  prey.  To  us  the  ver\'  thought 
seemed  disgusting,  even  horrible,  but  long  usage  makes  it 
all  right  to  the  Parsis. 

In  the  environs  of  Bombay  is  an  eminence  known  as 
Malabar  Hill.  The  wealth}-  Parsis  of  Bomba}-  own  several 
hundred  acres  of  land  on  the  summit  of  the  hill.  It  is  a 
garden-like  park  and  is  open  onl}-  to  the  Parsis  and  to  those 
who  can  secure  admittance  from  them.  It  is  green  with 
ferns,  and  the  palm  and  other  tropical  vegetation  grow 
luxuriantl}-.  In  this  park  are  the  Towers  of  Silence,  "  the 
restaurants  of  the  vultures,"  as  Hawthorne  calls  them. 
Having  received  permission  to  visit  the  park.  Brother 
Stover  and  Miss  Carroll  accompanied  us.  While  we  waited 
at  the  entrance  a  funeral  arrived.  The  dead  was  laid  upon 
a  stretcher,  covered  with  a  white  cloth,  and  borne  on  the 
shoulders  of  four  men,  known  as  the  "  carriers  of  the 
dead,"  their  sole  business  in  life  being  their  present  occu- 
pation.    After  the   bier  came  a  number   of  Parsi    men,  all 


242  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

dressed  in  white,  walking  in  procession,  each  pair  holding  a 
white  handkerchief  between  them.  A  flight  of  eighty  stone 
steps  ascends  the  hilltop.  As  the  procession  slowly  wended 
its  wa}'  upward,  the  vultures,  anticipating  their  horrid  feast, 
flapped  their  broad  wings  and  sailed  overhead.  The  bod\' 
was  taken  to  one  of  the  towers  and  laid  on  the  iron  grating 
prepared  for  it.  The  procession  turned  away  to  worship  at 
the  fire  temple  near  by,  and  the  vultures  began  their  work. 
In  lialf  an  hour  it  was  done.  The  bones,  entirely  bare,  are 
left  to  lie  in  the  sun  a  few  days,  when  the  "carriers  "  with 
gloved  hands  take  iron  tongs  and  throw  the  bones  into  the 
deep  well  in  the  center  of  the  tower.  The  carriers  are  a  pe- 
culiar class;  they  are  unclean  and  do  not  mix  with  other 
Parsis  in  social  intercourse.  After  touching  the  bones,  even 
with  iron  tongs,  they  must  purify  themselves  and  cast  away 
their  garments. 

We  were  not  allowed  to  enter  the  place  until  the  pro- 
cession came  out.  The  Parsis  do  not  want  the  shadow  of 
an  unbeliever  in  their  religion  to  fall  upon  their  dead.  At 
the  upper  gateway  we  were  met  by  an  attendant  who 
walked  with  us  about  the  grounds.  We  found  beautiful 
gardens  full  of  flowers,  with  shaded  walks,  quiet  retreats 
and  pleasant  nooks  where  one  might  sit  in  quiet  solitude 
and  meditate  without  a  single  reminder  of  the  close  prox- 
imity of  the  grim  towers.  Coming  to  within  thirty  feet  of 
the  largest  tower  the  attendant  stopped  and  said,  "  No  one 
goes  nearer  except  the  carriers  of  the  dead."  We  learned 
that  the  largest  tower  is  two  hundred  and  seventy-six  feet 
in  diameter  and  thirty  feet  high.  Eight  feet  from  the 
ground  is  a  doorway  to  which  the  carriers  ascend  by  a 
flight  of  steps,  and  then  they  go  to  the  top  by  other  steps 
on  the  inside.  On  the  edge  of  the  wall  of  the  tower  were  a 
Dcore  or  more  huge  vultures  resting  in  expectation  of  the 


w 
u 
z 

■s. 

c 

CO 

o 


TOWERS    OF    SILENCE.  245 

next  procession,  while  at  least  a  hundred  of  these  same  foul 
birds  of  prey  were  perched  on  the  tops  of  the  palm  and 
tamarind  trees  within  the  enclosure.  We  turned  away  from 
the  sight  with  a  sickening  feeling,  and  went  toward  the  fire 
temple  and  funeral  buildings.  We  were  not  allowed  to  en- 
ter, but  could  see  the  inner  altar  upon  which  the  sacred  fire 
was  burning,— the  fire  which  ever\-  faithful  Parsi  believes 
was  brought  down  from  heaven  by  Zoroaster  himself.  It  is 
watched  day  and  night  b)'  priests,  and  is  fed  with  sandal 
wood.  The  buildings  are  of  stone  with  low  roof.  The  in- 
terior is  provided  with  seats.  There  are  also  metal  vessels 
containing  water  for  the  washing  of  the  mourners  before 
prayer,  and  for  the  cleansing  of  the  carriers  of  the  dead. 
Gongs  are  used  to  give  the  signal  for  the  various  parts  of 
the  ceremony,  which  are  said  to  be  very  elaborate.  As  on- 
ly Parsis  are  admitted  to  these  last  rites  of  the  dead,  we  saw 
nothing  of  them. 

Our  aged  attendant  very  kindly  explained  to  us  every- 
thing connected  with  the  place.  He  showed  us  a  small 
wooden  model  of  the  largest  tower.  The  inside  plan  of 
the  building  resembles  a  gridiron,  sloping  inward  and 
downward  to  the  pit  or  well  in  the  center,  which  is  five  feet 
in  diameter.  Between  the  circular  wall,  which  encloses 
the  well,  and  the  outer  wall  of  the  tower  are  two  other  cir- 
cular walls  at  equal  distances  from  the  inner  and  outer 
walls.  From  the  center  are  radiating  walls  dividing  the 
space  into  compartments.  The  outer  and  larger  recepta- 
cles are  used  for  men,  the  second  for  women  and  the  inner 
or  smaller  for  children.  The  well  in  the  center  into  which 
the  dry  bones  are  thrown,  is  connected  with  four  deep 
drains  at  the  bottom  of  the  tower.  Through  these  the  rain 
water  collected  in  the  center  escapes,  carrying  with  it  the 
bones  as  they   rapidly   crumble  to  dust.     The   fluid  passes 


246  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

through  charcoal  and  is  disinfected  before  it  runs  into  the 
sea.  A  ladder  affords  a  means  for  the  carriers  of  the  dead 
to  go  down  and  remove  obstructions  from  the  opening  to 
the  drains,  if  it  becomes  necessary.  The  dust  in  the  well, 
it  is  said,  accumulates  very  slowly.  In  forty  years  it  rose 
only  five  feet.  In  this  way  the  Parsis  dispose  of  their  dead, 
as  they  believe,  without  contaminating  the  earth,  fire  or 
water. 

Just  before  we  entered  the  grounds  in  which  stand  the 
grim,  gloomy  and  silent  towers,  there  came  a  carriage  in 
which  were  two  Parsi  women.  They  came  by  where  we 
were  sitting,  and  the  broken  sobs  spoke  of  a  broken-hearted 
wife  or  mother  who  had  come  to  weep  in  solitude  for  the 
loved  and  lost.  We  could  not  keep  back  the  thought  that 
there  must  be  but  little  consolation  to  come  to  a  place  like 
this  to  weep,  and  we  were  not  surprised  to  learn  that  the  Parsi 
women  very  rarely  come  to  the  silent  towers  to  shed  tears. 
In  our  beautiful  cemeteries  we  can  sit  by  the  graves  of  our 
sainted  dead,  and  while  we  weep  we  have  the  glad  consola- 
tion that  Jesus,  our  Savior,  was  laid  in  the  tomb,  that  he 
burst  the  bars  of  death  and  came  forth  victorious  over  death 
and  the  grave;  and  that  we,  with  our  sleeping  dead,  shall 
come  forth  in  like  manner  in  the  glad  resurrection  morning 
with  a  glorified  body,  and  so  dwell  with  the  Lord  forever. 
But  what  sentiment  but  that  of  horror  can  the  Parsi  wife  or 
mother  feel  in  the  presence  of  these  gloomy  towers  where 
their  loved  ones  are  torn  by  foul  birds  of  prey? 

Thus  are  we  impressed  by  the  vultures  gorging  them- 
selves to  stupor  on  human  flesh  and  whitening  the  walls  of 
the  tower  with  droppings  of  digested  humanity.  But  how 
do  the  Parsis  feel  about  it?  They  have  a  precept  which 
says,  "The  rich  and  the  poor  must  meet  in  death,"  and  they 
literally  carry  this  out  in  their  method  of  disposing  of  their 


OLD    BOMBAY.  24/ 

dead.  The  dust  of  the  millionaire  cotton  manufacturer  of 
Bombay,  who  lives  surrounded  by  all  the  luxury  that  wealth 
can  afford,  and  that  of  the  poor  inmates  of  the  Parsi  asy- 
lum, dependent  upon  the  charity  of  others,  here  find  a  com- 
mon receptacle.  The  Parsis  also  believe  in  the  resurrection 
and  that  the  bodies  here  dispersed  will  come  forth  again. 
In  the  arrangement  of  the  park  nothing  has  been  left  un- 
done which  would  induce  calm  and  quiet  meditation. 
Shade  trees  abound,  and  flowers  bloom  everywhere.  The 
height  of  the  hill  and  the  proximity  of  the  sea  insure  a 
cool,  pleasant  breeze.  Here  the  relatives  of  the  deceased 
may  sit  and  meditate  upon  the  certainty  of  death.  After 
looking  at  all  these  pleasant  surroundings  the  horrible 
thought  of  the  vultures  tearing  the  flesh  from  the  bones  of 
the  dead  comes  back,  and  we  dismiss  the  subject,  thanking 
God  for  the  humanizing  influence  of  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

The  native  city,  or  Old  Bombay,  as  it  may  be  very  ap- 
propriately called,  is  in  striking  contrast  with  the  new  town 
briefly  described  above.  It  has  the  characteristics  of  all 
oriental  cities,  but,  with  wider,  better,  cleaner  streets,  and 
more  orderly  people,  it  is  in  advance  of  the  native  portion 
of  the  most  Eastern  capitals.  The  natives  are  kindly  dis- 
posed, gentle  in  demeanor  and  respc-ctful  to  strangers. 
They  have  the  reputation  of  being  quiet,  peaceable  and 
orderly,  except  when  aroused  by  race  or  religious  prejudice. 
Between  them  and  the  quarrelsome,  yelling,  fanatical  Turk 
and  Arab,  found  in  many  parts  of  Asia  Minor,  there  is  a 
striking  contrast,  with  the  advantage  all  in  fa\or  of  the  gen- 
tle Hindu. 

To  me  it  was  a  source  of  constant  interest  and  pleasure 
to  wander  about  the  streets  of  the  native  city  and  visit,  with 
the  missionaries,  the  homes  of  the  people.     Thus,  by  com- 


248  GIRDLTXn    THE    GLOBE. 

ing  in  contact  with  the  Hindus  in  their  home  and  street 
life,  in  three  weeks  more  was  learned  of  their  mode  of  li\- 
ini;  antl  habits  of  life  than  could  ha\e  been  ascertained  in 
any  other  way. 

In  the  bazaars, — the  streets  on  which  all  kinds  of  goods 
arc  sold, — one  never  tires  of  wandering  about  and  seeing 
sights  strange  to  the  Western  eye.  Merc  are  flashes  of  bril- 
liant color,  and  scenes  of  lively  animation,  to  be  witnessed 
nowhere  but  in  India.  The  little,  d^-n-like  shoi)s  on  both 
sides  of  the  street,  with  the  dealer  sitting  in  the  midst  of  his 
curious  merchandise,  patiently  but  anxiously  awaiting  a  cus- 
tomer, are  always  a  sight  worth  seeing.  Then  there  are 
crowds  and  crowds  of  Asiatic  humanity,  especially  after  the 
heat  of  the  day  has  passed,  when  everybody  seems  to  be 
out  of  doors.  People,  }'oung  and  old,  great  and  small,  men, 
women  and  children,  some  in  gay-colored  dresses,  "but 
most  with  next  to  none  at  all,"  are  coming  and  going  in 
constant  streams.  I  said  to  Brother  Stover,  "Surely  the 
people  of  Old  Bombay  all  live  on  the  streets,"  and  the  re- 
mark was  quite  in  line  with  the  truth.  Here,  in  open  shop 
and  veranda,  on  sidewalk  and  street,  the  native  Indian  does 
a  hundred  things  openly  that  we  do  indoors  in  the  United 
States.  The  carpenter,  the  chair-maker,  the  furniture-mak- 
er and  the  shoemaker  all  have  their  shops  in  the  open  air. 
The  gold  and  silversmith,  who  fashions  the  ornaments  so 
dear  to  the  hearts  of  the  barbarous  and  half-civilized  peo- 
ple,— with  shame  it  must  be  added,  and  many  professing 
Christians, — skillfully  plies  his  trade  before  the  multitude. 
You  may  see  him  making  chains  for  the  head  and  neck, 
bracelets  for  the  arms  and  ankles,  and  rings  for  the  toes, 
ears  and  nose.  The  barber  shaves  and  shampoos  his  cus- 
tomer on  the  sidewalk,  the  baker  mixes  his  flour  and  bakes 
his  bread  in  full  sight  of  his  customers,  th^  weaver  throws 


H 


C 


LAND    OF    DREAMS.  25  I 

his  shuttle  and  rolls  up  his  web  of  cloth  in  the  broad  glare 
of  sunlight,  and  so  the  work  and  the  crowd  move  on  until 
night,  with  but  brief  twilight,  falls  quickly  upon  the  city. 
Then  thousands  of  the  moving  mass,  covering  themselves 
with  their  loin-cloths,  lie  down  on  the  street  to  rest  and 
sleep  away  dull  care.  Passing  through  these  same  streets 
in  the  early  morning  one  may  see  the  people  making  their 
simple  toilet  in  the  open  air  and  getting  ready  for  their 
day's  work. 

"This  is  indeed  India.  The  land  of  dreams  and  ro- 
mance, of  fabulous  wealth  and  fabulous  poverty,  of  splen- 
dor and  rags,  of  palaces  and  hovels,  of  famine  and  pesti- 
lence, of  genii  and  giants  and  Aladdin's  lamps,  of  tigers  and 
elephants,  the  cobra  and  the  jungle,  the  country  of  a  hun- 
dred nations  and  a  hundred  tongues,  of  a  thousand  religions 
and  two  million  gods,  cradle  of  the  human  race,  birthplace 
of  human  speech,  mother  of  History,  grandmother  of  Leg- 
end, great-grandmother  of  Tradition,  whose  yesterdays  bear 
date  with  the  mouldering  antiquities  of  the  nations — the 
one  sole  country  under  the  sun  that  is  endowed  with  an  im- 
perishable interest  for  alien  prince  and  alien  peasant,  for 
lettered  and  ignorant,  wise  and  fool,  rich  and  poor,  bond 
and  free,  the  one  land  that  'all'  men  desire  to  see,  and, 
having  seen  once  by  even  a  glimpse,  would  not  give  that 
glimpse  for  the  shows  of  all  the  rest  of  the  globe  com- 
bined."* 

In  hot  climates  where  winter  is  unknown,  the  natives 
wear  but  scanty  clothing,  and  this  is  true  of  central  and 
southern  India.  Even  the  common  demands  of  decency 
are  often  neglected,  and  in  many  places  one  of  the  first 
cares  of  the  missionary  is  to  get  the  people  to  wear  a  prop- 
er amount  of  clothing.     It   is   not   so   much   a   question   of 

*  Clemens. 


252  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 


kind  as  of  quantity.  Children  until  they  are  six  or  seven 
arc  commonly  seen  without  clothing;  a  cord  or  sometimes  a 
white  metal  chain,  with  a  charm  attached,  is  fastened  about 
the  waist.  When  they  are  older  clothing  is  worn,  but  this 
is  only  a  cloth  for  the  loins,  and  among  the  very  poor  little 
more  is  ever  worn,  even  in  coldest  weather.  As  the  mer- 
cury rarel)'  falls  below  sixty-five  degrees,  they  do  not  suffer. 
The  wealthy  class  wear  very  thin  and  often  very  rich  cloth- 


ing. 


Shoes  and  stockings  are  never  worn  by  the  common 
people.  Sandals  are  sometimes  used,  but  the  rule  is  to  go 
without  cover  for  the  feet  or  the  lower  limbs,  except  among 
the  females,  who  wear  many  rings.  It  is  not  an  uncommon 
sight  to  see  women  with  the  lower  limbs  literally  covered 
witli  rings  or  bands  from  the  ankle  to  the  knee.  Among 
the  poor  the  ankle  rings  are  made  of  brass,  and,  taken  to- 
gether, those  worn  by  one  woman  weigh  from  eight  to  ten 
pounds.  The  bands  do  not  fit  tightly,  but  rest  loosely  one 
on  top  of  the  other.  I  have  often  seen  women  stop  by  the 
w^ayside,  gather  a  few  leaves  and  tuck  them  under  the  lower 
ring  where  it  rested  on  the  foot,  to  keep  it  from  cutting  into 
the  flesh.  It  is,  of  course,  a  great  inconvenience,  but  it's 
the  fashion,  and  she  only  does  what  millions  of  her  more 
enlightened  sisters  do  in  Europe  and  America, — suffers  the 
inconvenience  for  the  sake  of  being  in  the  fashion.  The 
arms,  from  elbow  to  wrist,  are  in  like  manner  covered  with 
bracelets  or  bands  of  metal,  glass  and  ivory.  Then  the  ears 
are  pierced  all  around  the  outer  rim  and  half  a  dozen  rings 
are  worn  in  each.  The  nose,  too,  must  bear  its  burden  of 
ornament.  Great  rings,  dangling  over  the  mouth,  hang 
from  the  nasal  organ.  The  completion  of  bodily  ornamen- 
tation is  only  reached  when  each  of  the  fingers  and  the 
thumbs  and  the  ten  toes  are  all  supplied  with  rings.     This 


WEARING    OF    JEWELRY. 


253 


may  all  seem  like  exaggeration,  but  it  is  onl}'  a  plain  state- 
ment of  facts  witnessed  a  thousand  times  and  more  since  I 
have  been  in  India.  If  further  proof  is  desired,  turn  to  the 
photogravure  on  page  255.  The  camera  has  reproduced  for 
us  two  full-jeweled  Indian  maidens.  The  Snri  thrown  over 
the  head  covers  the  ears  so  that  the  rings  are  not  in  sight. 


GOLDSMITH    AT    BOMBAY, 


A  close  inspection  will  rc\eal  two  of  the  ear  jewels  on  the 
figure  to  the  left.  The  bangles  are  on  the  forehead,  the 
earrings  and  the  nose  rings  are  in  place.  About  the  neck 
and  throat  are  the  beads  and  the  silver  and  gold  necklaces. 
The  fingers,  the  wrists  and  the  arms  come  in  for  their  full 
share  of  ornamentation,  and  the  ankles  and  toes  are  made 
to  bear  a  burden  of  silver  rings,  bands  and  chains  that  must 


254  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

be  a  threat  inconvenience  to  the  dusky  daughters  of  India. 
But  it  is  the  fashion,  and  the  matter  of  inconvenience  is 
never  questioned  either  in  India  or  in  America  when  fash- 
ion's mandates  go  forth.  What  a  tyrant  fashion  is  and 
how  it  has  enslaved  the  whole  world! 

The  love  for  ornaments  reaches  its  highest  limit  among 
the  lower  classes  and  the  ignorant  idol  worshipers.  The 
educated  and  wealthy  wear  jewelry  in  great  profusion  and 
of  immense  value,  but  are  more  moderate  as  to  quantity. 
Indeed  such  is  the  love  of  display  along  this  line  that  polit- 
ical economists  give,  as  the  main  cause  of  the  poverty  exist- 
ing in  India,  mo?iey  spe?it  for  jewelry.  Speaking  on  this  sub- 
ject one  authority  sa\s:  "India  has  been  called  the  grave  of 
the  precious  metals.  It  now  absorbs  about  one-fourth  of 
the  gold  and  one-third  of  the  silver  produced  throughout 
the  world."  According  to  the  last  census  there  were  for.r 
hundred  and  one  thousand,  five  hundred  and  eighty-two 
goldsmiths  in  India.  This  vast  army  of  workmen  are  con- 
stantly engaged  in  melting  gold  coins  and  shaping  them 
into  curious  ornaments  for  their  customers.  The  only  gold 
coins  I  have  seen  in  India  were  those  I  brought  with  me 
and  these,  after  being  exchanged  for  silver  rupees,  went  in- 
to the  goldsmith's  pot. 

In  view  of  this  inordinate  desire  among  the  people  all 
over  the  world  for  ornaments,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  Holy 
Scriptures  contain  a  positive  injunction  against  wearing 
gold  and  pearls  for  bodily  adornment.  And  yet  how  many 
professing  Christians  there  are  who  pay  no  heed  to  this 
plain,  sensible  commandment!  Even  missionaries  who  are 
sent  out  to  lead  these  people  to  the  lowly  Man  of  Sorrows 
come  wearing  jewelry.  What  an  example  they  give  to  their 
poor,  heathen  sisters!  If  this  letter  comes  to  the  notice  of 
any  of  these  jewelry-loving  missionaries  I  beseech  them  by 


Full    Jeweled. 


PAN    LEAF    AND    BETEL    NUT.  257 

the  mercies  of  God  to  lay  aside  their  rings  and  jewels,  that 
they  may  the  better  lead  the  heathen  away  from  idolatry 
One  said  to  me  not  long  ago:  "The  reason  why  Christianity 
is    not    more    readily   accepted    here    is    because    so    many 
Christians  give  such  bad  examples." 

Speaking  of  customs  brings  us  to  another  very  peculiar 
habit  seen  all  over  India.  Walking  through  the  streets  I 
noticed  that  many  of  those  whom  I  met  had  their  lips  and 
teeth  colored  as  with  blood.  I  soon  learned  that  this  was 
caused  by  chewing  pan,  which  answers  to  the  opium  habit 
of  China  and  the  tobacco  habit  in  the  United  States,  though 
it  is  but  fair  to  say  for  the  heathen  tliat  pan  is  not  so  inju- 
rious as  either  opium  or  tobacco. 

I  stop  at  one  of  the  little,  box-like  shops  where  the 
dealer  is  busily  engaged  in  serving  his  numerous  customers 
with  a  "chew."  He  has  by  his  side  a  large  quantity  of 
green  pan  leaves  about  the  size  of  the  leaf  of  the  oak.  Tak- 
ing one  of  these  in  his  hand,  he  places  in  the  center  of  it  a 
small  quantity  of  slaked  lime  from  a  tin  can  at  his  side. 
Then  he  puts  on  the  lime  a  small  portion  of  the  betel  nut 
with  cinnamon,  cardamus  and  other  spices.  The  leaf  is 
then  carefully  folded  over  these  ingredients.  The  folds  are 
held  together  on  top  by  a  clove  inserted  like  a  pin.  The 
little  package,  about  the  size  of  a  large  fig,  is  taken  from 
the  dealer  and  goes  into  the  mouth  of  the  chewer.  The 
saliva  at  once  becomes  red,  and  gives  the  chewer's  lips  and 
teeth  the  repulsive  and  frightful  appearance  of  a  blood- 
drinker.  When  I  first  saw  them  I  felt  sure  that  each  one 
had  taken  a  mouthful  of  blood.  It  is  said  pan  is  a  tonic 
and  hence  good  for  the  health.  The  spices  make  it  aromat- 
ic and  slightly  astringent  to  the  taste,  while  the  lime  mixed 
with  the  juice  of  the  pan  leaf  and  betel  nut  turns  it  to  the 
color   of   blood.     Great   splotches   of   red   saliva   from   the 


258  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

mouths  of  the  chcwcrs  arc  to  be  seen  on  the  sidewalks  and 
about  their  houses,  reminding  one  of  our  tobacco  chewers  at 
home.  The  fact  is  that  in  a  choice  between  the  two,  tobac- 
co or  pan,  I  should  prefer  the  latter,  even  if  it  is  a  heathen 
custom.  It  gives  the  breath  a  pleasant  odor,  and  is  not 
nearly  so  filthy  as  tobacco.  Then,  too,  the  heathen  can  ex- 
cuse its  use  on  the  ground  that  it  is  healthful,  while  tobacco 
is  known  to  destro}'  the  nerves  and  to  produce  evil  effects. 
Yes,  we  turn  away  from  the  Christian  (?)  tobacco  cheuer  to 
the  heathen  pan  muncher. 

Pan  chewing  is  a  national  custom  in  India,  and  every- 
where among  the  natives  it  is  offered  to  guests,  and  it  is 
considered  rude  not  to  accept  it.  Europeans  and  Ameri- 
cans are  excused  on  the  ground  of  nationality.  During  our 
first  week  in  Bombay,  wife  visited  some  Hindu  ladies,  and 
she  brought  home  with  her  the  pan  which  she  could  not,  ac- 
cording to  the  rules  of  politeness,  refuse  to  take.  Neither 
of  us  felt  like  chewing  it.  Bishop  Heber,  the  Indian  mis- 
sionary, tried  pan  chewing.  In  his  diary,  June  24,  1824,  is 
found  this  entry:  "I  tried  chewing  pan  to-day  and  thought 
it  not  unpleasant;  at  least  I  can  easily  believe  that  where  it 
is  fashionable  people  may  soon  grow  very  fond  of  it.  It  is 
warm  and  pungent.  My  servants  fancy  it  is  good  for  the 
teeth;  but  they  do  not  all  take  it.  I  see  about  half  the  crew 
without  the  stain  on  their  lips;  but  I  do  not  think  the  teeth 
of  others  are  better." 

Americans  and  Europeans  rarely,  if  ever,  acquire  the 
habit  of  chewing  pan.  They  regard  it  disgusting  to  appear 
with  lips  and  teeth  stained  red.  This  appears,  after  all,  to 
be  simply  a  difference  of  taste  as  to  color.  We  know  many 
Americans  who  do  not  object  in  the  least  to  having  their 
lips  and  teeth  stained  yellow  with  tobacco  juice,  and  their 
breath  made  offensive  by  the  noxious  weed.  Surely  great 
is  the  god  of  habit! 


CHAPTER  X. 


Stability  of  Cust07>is  in  India —  The  Sacred  Animals —  Worshiping  the 
Cow  —  Bathing —  The  Hindus'  Love  for  Anitnals —  To  Bulsar  — 
The  Cocoanut  Toddy  —  Monkeys  by  the  Way — Our  Mission  Home 
—  A  Good  Work  by  a  Noble  Band  of  Workers^ Hinduism  — 
Caste  —  The  Rajah  and  his  Cabinet  —  High  Caste  Wo/nan  —  Low 
Caste  Woman  —  The  Degradation  of  Idolaters. 

To  the  westerner  the  land  of  the  Orient  is  not  only  a 
source  of  great  interest  but  of  surprises  as  well.  Here  he 
comes  in  contact  with  an  entirely  new,  or,  rather,  an  old 
world,  for  he  is  surrounded  by  a  semi-civilization,  the  foun- 
dations of  which  are  rooted  in  the  Aryan  invasion  of  India, 
which  took  place  three  thousand  years  before  the  discovery 
of  America.  He  realizes  at  once  that  he  is  among  a  people 
whose  traditions,  activities  and  lines  of  thought  are  wholly 
different  from  his  own.  He  is  quite  at  a  loss — unless  he  has 
made  himself  acquamted  with  the  history  and  religious 
thought  of  the  people — to  account  for  the  strange  scenes 
about  him.  If  he  has  traveled  in  Palestine  and  Egypt  be- 
fore coming  to  India,  he  is  somewhat  prepared  for  the 
striking  contrasts  that  meet  hmi.  But  western  enterprise  is 
changing  the  aspect  of  the  former  countries.  The  popula- 
tions are  small,  hence  easily  affected.  But  India,  with  her 
three  hundred  million,  does  not  change,  and,  practically 
speaking,  western  influence,  aided  by  the  missionaries,  has 
made  but  little  impression  upon  her  population. 

Animal  life  is  held  sacred  by  the  Hindus,  hence  they 
are  vegetarians.  They  believe  in  transmigration,  or  that 
after   they   leave  the  body   they  now  live   in   they  will  bj 

<259) 


260  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

transferred  to  that  of  some  animal.  This  belief  makes  them 
especially  kind  to  all  animals,  for  they  say,  "  How  do  we 
know  but  that  some  of  our  ancestors,  even  our  father  or 
mother,  may  now  be  living  in  the  body  before  me."  But  of 
all  animals  the  cow  is  held  to  be  the  most  sacred,  and  is 
actually  worshiped  by  all  orthodox  Hindus.  They  teach 
that,  when  the  class  known  as  the  Brahmans  was  created, 
the  cow  was  also  made  to  supply  sustenance  to  man  by  her 
milk  and  butter  for  the  burnt  offerings  to  the  Creator.  It  is 
also  claimed  that  the  cow  is  the  mother  of  the  gods.  Her 
five  products — milk,  butter,  curds,  and  the  excreta — are 
held  in  high  veneration  and  even  worshiped. 

I  have  seen  a  Hindu,  when  meeting  a  cow  in  the  morn- 
ing, which  is  always  regarded  as  a  sign  of  the  very  highest 
good  fortune,  place  both  hands  upon  her  back  with  much 
apparent  affection  and  reverence,  and  then  rub  them  over 
his  face  and  breast.  After  putting  the  palms  of  his  hands 
together  and  bringing  them  with  the  thumbs  touching  the 
forehead,  he  would  bow  the  head  reverently  and  repeat  one 
of  the  mantras  or  prayers,  of  which  Arnold's  translation  is 
given:  "  Hail,  O  cow!  Mother  of  Rudra,  daughter  of  Vasu, 
sister  of  the  Aditya,  thou  who  art  the  source  of  Ambrosia." 
Indeed  so  sacred  have  cows  become  in  the  eves  of  the 
orthodox  Hindu  that  to  kill  one  is  considered  a  greater 
crime  than  for  one  to  slay  his  own  father  or  brother,  and 
some  years  ago  an  offense  of  this  kind  was  punished  by 
death. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  worship  of  this  animal,  the  fol- 
lowing incident  is  given:  The  widow  of  the  last  ruler  of 
Nagpore  spent  twelve  hours  daily  in  the  adoration  of  cows, 
the  tulsi  plant,  the  sun,  and  her  idols.  When  her  end  was  at 
hand,  five  cows,  in  order  to  be  bestowed  on  the  priests,  were 
introduced  into  the  room  where  she  lay.     The  gift  of  the 


IGNORANT    IDOLATERS.  261 

animals  was  accompanied  by  a  further  donation  of  money, 
and  as  the  cows  one  after  another  passed  onward  from  the 
bedside,  they  were  supposed  to  help  the  dying  woman  for- 
ward on  her  way  to  heaven.  Among  the  last  acts  of  her 
life  was  that  of  calling  for  a  cow  and  falling  at  its  feet.  As 
far  as  her  waning  strength  would  allow  her,  she  offered  it 
grass  to  eat  and  addressed  it  by  the  venerated  name  of 
mother. 

Some  years  ago,  when  reading  the  Zend-Avesta,  the 
Vedas,  and  other  so-called  sacred  books,  or  bibles  of  the 
East,  it  seemed  impossible  for  the  mind  to  accept  the  ex- 
travagant statements  made  in  them  with  reference  to  the 
worship  of  the  cow  and  the  veneration  accorded  to  her  ex- 
creta. Now  these  very  things  are  seen  every  day,  and 
many  of  them  are  so  revolting  in  their  nature  that  they  can- 
not be  described  here.  And  yet  there  are  some  writers  who 
would  have  us  believe  that  Hinduism  is  to  be  compared 
with  the  Christian  religion.  Something  more  will  be  said 
on  this  subject  of  comparative  religion  later  on.  Now  we 
can  only  say,  God  pity  these  ignorant  idolaters,  and  put  it 
into  the  hearts  of  his  people  to  help  lift  them  out  of  their 
ignorance  and  bring  them  to  embrace  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

Several  conditions,  resulting  from  animal  worship,  are 
to  be  spoken  of  in  words  of  commendation.  The  Hindus 
are  very  kind  to  animals  and  take  good  care  of  them.  The 
cows  that  are  driven  about  the  streets  and  milked  at  the 
doors  of  customers  are  regularly  bathed.  In  Bombay  I 
watched  with  interest  the  process  of  bathing.  About  fifty 
of  the  animals  had  been  gathered  at  a  large  tank  full  of 
clear  water,  and  the  herdsmen  bathed  them  with  as  much 
care  as  a  mother  would  bathe  her  child  at  home.  The  head, 
the  ears,  the  nose,  tlic  inoulh,  the  legs  and    ft-et  all  came  in 


262  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE, 

for  a  due  share  of  careful  attention.  After  much  rubbing 
and  scrubbing  and  washing,  a  great  quantity  of  water  was 
poured  over  the  animals,  and  the  bath  was  completed.  In 
this  way  they  are  kept  scrupulously  clean,  and  being  well 
fed  are  sleek  and  fat.  They  present  an  inviting  appearance, 
and  one  in  striking  contrast  with  the  way  some  of  our 
dairy  cows  are  kept  at  home.  In  this  warm  climate  the 
bath  must  be  very  grateful  to  them.  At  least  they  take  it 
with  patience  and  evident  comfort. 

Space  is  taken  for  but  one  more  pleasing  phase  of  the 
Hindus'  love  for  animals.  They  provide  homes  for  them, 
where  they  are  fed  and  cared  for  when  they  are  injured  or 
become  old  and  worn  out.  While  in  Bombay,  at  a  later 
date,  we  visited  a  place  of  this  kind  and  found  a  remarkable 
collection  of  lame,  blind,  wornout  animals  of  various  kinds 
— cows,  oxen,  sheep,  goats,  dogs,  cats,  monkeys,  etc.,  etc. 
There  were  also  many  feathered  fowls,  some  with  broken 
wings  and  legs,  wounded  presumably  by  some  Christian  (?) 
sportsman  and  left  to  suffer  and  die  until  found  by  a 
humane  Hindu  and  brought  to  this  place  to  be  fed  and 
cared  for.  I  thought  of  the  cruelty  practiced  by  some  of 
our  friends  at  home  in  pigeon  shooting  and  wished  they 
might  learn  a  lesson  from  these  heathen.  The  attendant 
who  showed  us  around  the  place  was  intelligent  and  polite, 
and,  after  asking  us  to  register  our  names,  did  not  fail  to 
point  out  a  strong  box  with  a  slot  in  the  top  where  contri- 
butions might  be  placed. 

But  the  time  has  come  to  leave  Bombay.  We  might 
stay  here  longer,  and  write  and  write,  but  we  have  not  yet 
met  sisters  Stover  and  Ryan,  and  they  are  anxiously  awa.it- 
ing  our  coming.  We  therefore  arranged  to  go  to  Bulsar  on 
the  i6th  day  of  December.  The  latter  place  is  located  on 
the  Bombay  and  Baroda  railway,  one  hundred  and  twenty- 


TODDY    DRINKERS.  263 

five  miles  north  of  Bombay.  Leaving  the  city,  the  line 
passes  for  some  distance  along  the  seashore  and  close  by 
the  "  burning  ghaut,"  the  place  where  the  Hindus  burn  the 
bodies  of  their  dead,  a  description  of  which  must  be  given 
in  another  chapter.  We  also  pass  Malabar  Hill,  and  we 
think  again  and  again  of  the  gloomy  "  towers  of  silence," 
with  great  vultures  perched  about  them  awaiting  in  silence 
their  awful  meal. 

After  leaving  the  cit}-  the  general  aspect  of  the  country 
is  flat  and  level,  with  low  hills  in  the  far  distance.  In  some 
respects  it  reminds  us  of  our  western  prairies,  but  the  simi- 
larity embraces  only  the  level  surface.  The  plain  is  dotted 
here  and  there  with  native  villages  composed  of  very  low 
mud  huts,  covered  with  rice  straw.  The  land  is  laid  out  in 
numberless  squares  and  irregular  shapes,  varying  in  size 
from  about  an  eighth  of  an  acre  to  a  small  plat  but  a  few 
feet  square.  These  are  separated  by  narrow  ridges  a  foot 
and  a  half  high.  In  these  little  plats  the  farmer  plants  his 
rice  when  the  rains  come,  and.it  grows  for  some  time  in  the 
water.  The  ridges  keep  the  water  on  each  patch  separate 
and  also  prevent  the  washing  of  the  ground. 

Then  there  are  the  cocoanut,  the  date  and  the  palmyra 
palms,  with  their  long,  slender  trunks  and  crowns  of  feath- 
ery foliage  waving  gracefully  in  the  balmy  air.  Cocoanuts 
in  various  stages  of  development  are  to  be  seen  on  the  trees, 
while  the  palmyra  palms  are  marked  and  numbered  and 
taxed  by  the  government  like  our  distilleries  at  home. 
Each  tree  produces  every  day  about  three  quarts  of  a  white 
liquid,  resembling  in  taste  and  appearance  the  milk  in  the 
cocoanut.  It  is  quite  sweet  when  first  taken  from  the  trees, 
but  in  a  few  days  it  ferments  and  becomes  a  very  strong  in- 
toxicant. Great  quantities  of  "  toddy,"  as  it  is  called,  are 
drunk  by  all  classes  of  the  natives,  and  drunkenness  is  quite 


264  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE, 

common.  J^ut  this  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  for  many  of 
their  Ljods  are  represented  as  being  addicted  to  strong  drink, 
and  by  some  it  is  held  that  indulging  in  intoxicants  to  ex- 
cess is  pleasing  to  them.  How  a  belief  of  this  kind  would 
gladden  the  hearts  of  Christian  (r)  distillers  and  brewers 
and  saloonkeepers  in  Europe  and  the  United  States! 

As  we  continue  our  journey  northward,  occasional!}'  a 
monkey  may  be  seen  b)-  the  roadside,  and  farther  north 
still,  at  Ahmedabad,  as  Arnold  says,  troops  of  them  are  vis- 
ible, as  they  scamper  from  the  track  on  both  sides  of 
the  train.  At  a  short  distance  they  stop  and  curiously 
scrutinize  the  passing  cars.  There  are  hundreds  of  them, 
and  they  may  be  observed  from  the  windows  of  the  train, 
ualking  meditatively  ahead  on  th.e  rails,  jumping  o\er  the 
cactus  fences,  perching  with  long  drooping  tails  upon  the 
branches  of  the  trees,  or  solemnly  assembled  on  some  open 
field  in  a  grave  congress,  discussing  the  next  plundering  ex- 
pedition. They  steal  and  destroy  much  fruit  and  grain, 
but  the  natives  rarely  ever  molest  them,  for  the\'  worship 
the  monke\'  god  Hanuman,  and  to  them  these  great  apes  are 
sacred. 

At  9:  30  P.  M.  we  reached  Bulsar  and  had  a  jo\ful 
meeting  with  our  dear  missionaries.  Doubtless  no  one  of 
the  five  of  us  who  were  present  at  that  meeting  will  ever 
forget  it.  Tears  of  joy  were  shed  and  grateful  liearts 
thanked  the  dear  Lord  that  we  were  thus  brought  together 
in  far-away  India.  A  number  of  the  friends  of  our  mission- 
aries came  with  them  to  meet  us,  and  as  it  was  night  we 
formed  a  kind  of  procession  with  lanterns  and  torches,  and 
so  walked  together  to  the  mission  home. 

Bulsar,  the  location  selected  by  our  missionaries  for 
their  work,  is  a  city  of  about  fifteen  thousand  inhabitants, 
situated  in  the  Bombay  Presidency,  one  hundred  and  twen- 


MISSION   WORK    IN    INDIA.  265 

ty  miles  north  of  the  capital  of  the  district.  The  language 
spoken  is  the  Gujerati.  We  are  of  the  opinion  that,  when 
all  the  conditions  are  considered,  a  good  selection  of  terri- 
tory was  made.  The  climate  for  at  least  one-half  of  the 
}'car  is  delightfully  pleasant.  During  the  da\'  we  sit  on  the 
open  veranda  and  read  and  write.  At  night  it  is  cool 
enough  to  make  light  blankets  comfortable.  This  is  all  the 
more  pleasant  as  we  read  letters  from  home  telling  of  snow 
and  snowdrifts  and  of  zero  weather.  In  a  location  free 
from  malaria  Bulsar  may  be  called  a  healthy  place,  and 
after  those  who  come  here  are  acclimated  they  enjoy  as 
good  health  as  at  home.  Were  it  not  for  some  home 
interests  that  demand  our  personal  attention  we  should 
very  much  like  to  remain  here. 

In  the  mission  h.ome  we  spent  six  weeks  most  pleasant- 
ly and  happily.  It  was  a  real  joy  to  be  with  this  devoted 
band  of  Christian  workers.  The  days  passed  away  all  too 
soon  for  us.  They  are  now  a  memory,  but  are  ahva\s  re- 
called with  much  pleasure  and  satisfaction. 

I  was  tleepl}'  impressed  with  the  great  importance  of 
our  mission  work  in  India.  The  conviction  that  the  church 
will  not  be  held  blameless  if  she  neglects  her  part  in  the 
great  work  of  rescuing  India  from  idolatry  and  winning  her 
for  Christ,  has  grown  many  times  stronger  since  I  have  seen 
the  people  bow  down  to  images  made  of  wood,  clay  and 
stone.  I  am  especially  pleased  to  sa\'  that  our  missionaries 
are  doing  well.  They  have  won  the  love  and  esteem  of  all 
with  whom  they  have  come  in  contact,  and  this  promises 
well  for  their  success  when  they  are  read}'  to  preach  Christ 
to  the  people.  The\'  are  studying  hard  and  are  making 
rapid  progress  in  acquiring  the  language. 

Many  important  problems  will  have  to  be  met  and 
solved  as  the  work   progresses  in  India,  but  tluse  will  be 


266  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

met  and  solved  as  they  arise.  The  religion  of  Jesus  Christ 
is  not  local  in  its  character,  but  is  adapted  to  meet  the 
wants  of  the  whole  world.  National  characteristics  and 
customs,  dependent  upon  climatic  conditions,  so  long  as 
they  are  not  in  conflict  with  the  Gospel,  should  not  be  inter- 
fered with.  It  may  even  be  necessary  to  modify  to  som.e 
slight  extent  our  church  government,  to  meet  the  exigencies 
of  the  case.  Those  who  are  converted  from  idol  worship 
cannot,  until  they  are  educated  and  lifted  out  of  their  igno- 
rance, intelligently  exercise  the  right  to  vote  in  the  congre- 
gations. But,  as  already  intimated,  these  various  conditions 
will  be  met  and  settled  in  accordance  with  the  Gospel  as 
they  arise. 

Our  mission  in  India  gives  us  an  increased  interest  in 
the  people  whom  we  are  assisting  in  leading  away  from 
idolatry,  and  its  consequent  degradation,  to  the  worship  of 
the  true  and  living  God.  Many  of  my  readers  do  not  have 
access  to  books  containing  information  about  India  and 
its  people,  and  therefore  the  rest  of  this  chapter  will  be  de- 
voted to  the  subject  of  "  The  People  of  India,  their  Beliefs 
and  Form  of  Worship."     The  Hindu  comes  first  in  the  list. 

Of  India's  three  hundred  million*  souls,  by  far  the 
largest  number  are  worshipers  of  the  gods  of  Hinduism; 
and  so  numerous  are  their  gods  that  Umbalal  Desai,  a  high- 
caste  Brahman  and  teacher  of  the  high  school  at  Bulsar, 
said  to  us:  "  There  are  three  hundred  million  people  in 
India,  and  there  is  a  god  for  each."  Before  speaking  of 
their  gods,  however,  we  refer  to  the  curse  of  India,  Hindu 
caste. 

The  word  "  caste,"  meaning  "  race,"  was  used  by  the 
Portuguese,  who  were  the  first  Europeans  to  trade  with 
India,  to  denote  the  classes  into  which  the  people  were  di- 

*In  the  absence  of  exact  statistics  these  figures  are  given  approximately. 


H 
U 
Z 

3 
u 

in 

Q 
Z 

<; 

w 


BRAHMANS.  26g 

vided.  The  word  was  changed  by  English  writers  into 
caste,  and  this  term  is  now  universally  used  when  referring 
to  Hinduism.  Caste  is  so  closely  bound  up  with  the  relig- 
ion of  India  that  it  seems  impossible  to  separate  them. 

There  are  four  great  castes  or  divisions  of  the  people  in 
India,  and  these  again  are  subdivided  into  numerous  smaller 
classes.     The  great  castes  are 

1.  The  Brahmans,  or  priest  class,  who  are  said  to  have 
issued  from  the  mouth  of  Brahma,  the  Hindu  god,  at  the 
moment  of  creation.  Their  business  is  to  read  and  teach 
the  sacred  books,  and  to  offer  sacrifices  for  themselves  and 
others.  They  are  held  to  be  the  chief  of  all  created  beings, 
and  it  is  claimed  that  the  lower  castes  enjoy  life  through 
them.  From  this  caste  came  the  rulers  of  the  land,  the 
petty  kings,  rajahs  and  princes.  Their  power  is  now  very 
much  circumscribed  by  the  English,  but  at  one  time  they 
ruled  according  to  their  own  will.  A  picture  of  one  of  the 
rajahs  and  his  cabinet  is  given,  and  they  make  up  a  group  of 
fine-looking  men, 

2.  The  soldier  class  are  said  to  have  sprung  from  the 
arms  of  the  god.  They  bear  arms  and  administer  the  laws 
made  by  the  Brahmans.  The  executive  government  is 
vested  in  the  soldier  caste  alone. 

3.  The  merchant  caste  came  from  the  thighs  of  Brah- 
ma. They  are  to  engage  in  trade,  keep  cattle,  cultivate  the 
soil  and  loan  money  at  interest.  They  are  the  Hindu  busi- 
ness men. 

4.  The  Sudra,  or  servant  class,  are  believed  to  have 
come  from  the  feet  of  Brahma.  They  are  not  to  be  held  as 
slaves,  but  as  servants  of  servants.  They  are  to  serve  the 
classes  above  them,  and  especially  the  higher  caste.  They 
cannot  accumulate  or  own  property,  and  their  condition 
cannot  be  changed  or  improved.     The  Sudra  women  do  all 


270  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

kinds  of  manual  labor,  and  are  to  he  pitied.  I  have  seen 
tluni  in  groups  on  the  streets  with  irons  in  their  hands, 
hard  at  work  tamping  the  fine  stone  and  clay  so  as  to  make 
the  street  solid  and  firm.     It  is  hard  work.     See  page  275. 

From  the  Rig  Veda,  the  book  the  Hindus  call  their  bi- 
ble, the  following  quotation  is  made,  showing  the  origin  of 
caste.     Speaking  of  Brahma  it  sa)'s, 

"What  were  his  arms,  and  what  his  thighs  and  feet? 
The  Brahma  was  his  mouth,  the  kingly  soldier 
Was  made  his  arms,  the  husbandman  his  thighs, 
The  servile  Sudra  issued  from  his  feet." 

There  is  still  another  class,  known  as  Pariahs,  or  out- 
casts, that  is  without  caste.  They  are  the  most  degraded  of 
all  the  people  in  India.  None  of  the  four  castes  will  hold 
any  communication  with  them.  Food  is  defiled  if  the  shad- 
ow of  a  Pariah  falls  upon  it.  All  those  who  violate  their 
caste  fall  into  the  low  class,  which  the  Hindu  mind  regards 
as  the  depth  of  vileness.  If  a  man  and  woman  of  two  dif- 
ferent castes  should  marry,  they  may  under  severe  penalties 
hold  their  caste,  but  their  children  are  doomed  to  become 
outcast  Pariahs. 

As  before  noted,  these  classes  are  again  subdivided  into 
numerous  castes.  The  British  census  report  for  1881  gave 
no  less  than  nineteen  thousand  and  forty-four  caste  names, 
and  these  were  entered  in  the  order  of  their  relative  impor- 
tance, beginning  with  the  Brahmans  and  ending  with  the 
Pariahs  or  outcasts.  Were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  these  fig- 
ures are  taken  from  the  official  report,  one  might  doubt 
their  being  correct.  As  it  stands,  it  shows  how  hopelessly 
India  is  divided  by  caste. 

One  cannot  remain  long  in  India  without  seeing  the  ef- 
fects of  caste.  It  is  one  of  the  great  hindrances  to  mission 
work.     It  builds  a  wall  of  separation  between  the  different 


Hindu  Girl. 


LAWS    OF    CASTE.  273 

classes  that  keeps  them  from  all  social  intercourse.  It 
dries  up  all  human  sympathy,  and  is  directly  in  opposition 
to  the  great  Christ-given  doctrine  of  the  fatherhood  of  God 
and  the  brotherhood  of  man.  At  home  we  have  some  idea 
of  caste  as  it  exists  between  the  white  and  black  races  in 
the  South,  but  that  is  but  a  shadow  of  the  power  of  castes 
as  it  is  felt  in  India.  Here  it  is  observed  with  the  strictness 
of  a  religious  rite  and  enforced  by  the  severest  penalties. 
It  determines,  with  all  the  power  of  an  unreasoning  tyrant, 
every  Hindu  movement,  from  the  day  of  his  birth  until  he 
is  laid  on  his  funeral  pyre,  and  even  here  it  reigns,  for  the 
burning  of  his  body  and  the  disposition  of  his  ashes  are  sub- 
ject to  the  iron  rule  of  caste. 

The  statement  of  Dr.  Wilson,  an  authority  on  this  sub- 
ject, will  give  our  readers  an  idea  of  how  the  laws  of  caste 
regulate  all  the  actions  of  life  among  the  Hindus.  Caste 
has  ordained  for  infancy,  youth  and  manhood  methods  of 
"sipping,  drinking  and  eating;  of  washing  and  anointing; 
of  clothing  and  ornamenting  the  body;  of  sitting,  rising,  re- 
clining; of  moving,  visiting,  traveling;  of  speaking,  reading, 
listening  and  reciting;  and  of  meditating,  singing,  working 
and  fighting.  It  has  its  laws  for  social  and  religious  rites, 
privileges  and  occupations;  for  education,  duty,  religious 
service;  for  errors,  sins,  transgressions;  for  intercommunion, 
avoidance  and  excommunication;  for  defilement  and  purifi- 
cation; for  fines  and  punishments.  It  unfolds  the  ways  of 
committing  what  it  calls  sins,  accumulating  sin  and  putting 
away  sin;  of  acquiring,  dispensing  and  losing  merit.  It 
treats  of  inheritance,  possession  and  disposition  of  property; 
and  of  bargains,  gains,  loss  and  ruin.  It  deals  with  death, 
burial  and  burning;  and  with  commemoration,  assistance 
and  injury  after  death.  It  interferes,  in  short,  with  all  the 
relations  and  events  of  life,  and  v/ith  what  precedes  and  fol- 


2/4  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

lows  or  what  is  supposed  to  precede  and  follow  life.  It 
reigns  supreme  in  the  innumerable  classes  and  divisions  of 
the  Hindus,  whether  they  originate  in  family  descent,  in  re- 
ligious opinions,  in  civil  or  sacred  occupations,  or  in  local 
residences;  and  it  professes  to  regulate  all  their  interests, 
affairs  and  relationships.  Caste  is  the  guiding  principle  of 
each  of  the  classes  and  divisions  of  the  Hindus,  viewed  in 
their  distinct  and  associated  capacity." 

Whilst  the  rules  of  caste  thus  enter  into  all  the  simplest 
and  most  minute  details  of  life,  there  are  four  general  rules 
that  are  held  more  important  than  others,  and  these  have  all 
the  force  and  power  of  a  sacred  law,  and  may  be  classed  as 
follows: 

1.  Intermarriage  between  persons  of  different  castes  is 
strictly  prohibited.  This  rule  also  enforces  child  marriage 
and  prohibits  widows  from  remarriage.  A  man  may  marry 
as  many  times  as  he  likes,  a  woman  but  once. 

2.  Restrictions  as  to  the  kind  of  food  to  be  eaten,  and 
its  preparation  by  cooks  who  must  be  of  a  caste  not  lower 
than  those  for  whom  they  cook.  Dry  food  and  fruits  may 
be  eaten  together;  but  if  these  be  cooked  they  come  under 
caste  rules.  Brahmans,  being  the  highest  caste,  may  cook 
for  all  others. 

3.  Those  of  different  castes  must  not  eat  together, 
neither  must  water  be  accepted  by  a  high  from  a  low  caste 
person.  Pariahs  or  outcasts  are  excluded  from  eating  ex- 
cept among  themselves. 

4.  The  castes  are  prohibited  from  engaging  in  any  oc- 
cupation except  that  which  falls  to  the  different  classes. 
The  sons  follow  the  occupation  of  their  fathers  and  are  not 
allowed  to  change  at  will. 

These  iron  rules  fix  a  man's  lot  in  life  in  India,  and  he 
is  absolutely  helpless  to  change  or  alter  it.     It  destroys  all 


a 

H 


H 


CASTE    DESTROYS.  2^/ 

hope  and  ambition  to  better  the  condition  in  life,  and  it  di- 
vides the  people  into  so  many  classes,  and  separates  them 
so  completely  that  there  is  but  little  unity  of  action  amont^ 
them.  England,  with  her  sea-girt  islands  and  comparative- 
ly small  population,  rules  India's  three  hundred  millions  to- 
day, because  caste  makes  unity  impossible.  Were  it  not  for 
this  pernicious  system,  with  its  twin  sister  idolatry,  India, 
with  her  vast  population  and  her  infinite  resources,  might 
be,  and  would  be,  one  of  the  leading  nations  of  the  world. 
As  it  is,  she  is  ruled  by  a  handful  of  men  who  are  not  al- 
ways alert  for  her  best  interests. 

Well  might  Bishop  Heber  say,  "The  caste  system 
tends,  more  than  anything  else  the  devil  has  yet  invented, 
to  destro}-  the  feelings  of  general  benevolence,  and  to  make 
nine-tenths  of  mankind  the  hopeless  slaves  of  the  remain- 
der.' 

An  English  author*  of  note  and  authority  recognizes 
the  fact  that  the  British  rule  in  India  depends  upon  caste. 
He  says:  "Its  action  tends  to  arrest  progress,  to  paralyze 
energy,  to  crush  manly  independence,  to  stifle  healthy  pub- 
lic opinion,  to  make  nationality,  patriotism,  and  true  liberty 
almost  impossible.  .  ,  .  And  certainly  the  antagonism  of 
these  caste  associations  has  helped  us  to  govern  tJic  country 
by  inaking  political  combinations  impracticable ^ 

But  worse  than  all  these,  caste  distinction  alienates  men 
from  the  true  Gotl  and  makes  the  task  of  lifting  them  out 
of  ignorance  and  idolatry,  and  leading  them  to  Christ,  a 
most  difficult  one. 

It  would  be  but  an  easy  matter  to  fill  a  volume  with  in- 
cidents showing  to  what  extent  caste  controls  the  Hindus 
in  their  relation  to  each  other  and  in  their  dealing  with 
strangers.     Only  a  very  few  instances  can  be  given   in  the 

*Sir  Monicr  Williams. 


2/8  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

space  allotted.  When  making  purchases  at  the  shops,  the 
Hindu  tradesman,  instead  of  handing  you  the  money  that  is 
due  you  in  change,  drops  it  into  }'our  hand.  If  the  high- 
caste  shopkeeper  should  but  touch  the  hand  of  a  customer 
of  a  lower  caste  he  would  at  once  become  impure  and  un- 
clean. I  noticed  this  peculiarity  many  times  in  dealing 
witii  the  natives. 

In  drinking  from  a  vessel  the  liquid  is  poured  into  the 
mouth  in  a  constant  stream,  so  that  the  lips  do  not  become 
polluted  by  coming  in  contact  with  a  cup,  bowl,  or  glass, 
that  may  have  been  touched  in  manufacture,  or  sale,  by  one 
of  a  lower  caste  than  the  drinker.  If  you  would  know  how 
difficult  it  is  to  take  water  in  this  way,  try  it  as  we  did,  and 
you  will  learn  that  drinking  from  a  vessel  is  much  more  de- 
sirable than  pouring. 

In  the  home  men  and  women  of  different  castes  must 
be  engaged  to  do  different  kinds  of  work.  At  Bombay  the 
men  who  made  the  beds  and  swept  the  rooms  and  cleaned 
the  shoes  could  not  be  induced,  by  any  means,  to  empty  the 
jar  into  which  the  wash  water  had  been  thrown.  This  was 
the  work  of  a  lower  caste  man,  and  this  work  he  did  every 
morning.  It  required  four  different  persons  to  do  the 
chamber  work.  As  a  result  of  this  senseless  system  of 
caste  there  is  a  small  army  of  servants  about  the  hotels. 

One  of  the  missionaries  relates  an  amusing  phase  of 
caste  rules.  His  Hindu  servant  would  carry  tea  and  toast 
to  him  in  the  morning  when  he  was  sick,  but  when  a  boiled 
egg  was  wanted  some  one  else  was  required  to  bring  it. 
The  boiling  and  eating  of  an  egg  implied  to  the  Hindu  the 
premature  death  of  a  prospective  chicken,  and  to  him  that 
would  have  been  a  most  serious  offense.  He  drew  the  caste 
line,  and,  as  a  result,  the  Hindu  brought  the  tea  and  toast, 
followed  solemnly  by  another  servant  with  the  egg. 


CASTE    A    VIRTUE.  2/9 

At  one  of  the  missions,  during  a  heavy  rainstorm,  the 
roof  of  one  of  the  houses  fell  in  and  covered  up  a  number 
of  low  caste  men.  The  missionary  plead  all  in  vain  for 
help  from  those  who  passed  by.  No  one  would  lend  a  hand 
to  help  the  poor  fellows  out.  "We  cannot  without  violat- 
ing our  caste,"  they  said,  and  went  their  way,  wholly  indif- 
ferent to  the  sufferings  of  their  fellows;  and  so  the  poor 
men  remained  under  the  roof  at  least  an  hour  before  low- 
caste  men  could  be  secured  to  help  them  out  of  the  wreck. 
It  must  not  be  thought  that  the  Hindus  are  not  hospitable. 
So  far  as  the  rules  allow  they  are  exceedingly  kind  and  gen- 
erous. But  caste  is  a  sufficient  excuse  for  not  giving  help 
to  a  lower  or  an  unknown  caste. 

Bishop  Heber  gives  the  following  illustration:  A 
traveler  falls  down  sick  in  the  street  of  a  village, — a  real 
occurrence, — nobody  knows  to  what  caste  he  belongs,  there- 
fore nobody  goes  near  him,  lest  they  should  become  pol- 
luted. He  wastes  to  death  before  the  eyes  of  the  whole 
community,  unless  the  jackals  take  courage  from  his  help- 
less state  to  finish  him  a  little  sooner,  and,  perhaps,  as  hap- 
pened in  the  case  here  alluded  to,  the  children  are  allowed 
to  pelt  the  poor  fellow  with  stones  and  mud. 

The  extreme  selfishness  of  caste,  as  here  illustrated,  is 
admitted  freely  by  the  Hindus  themselves.  Selfishness  is 
made  a  kind  of  virtue.  You  may  judge  a  people  by  their 
songs  and  proverbs.  One  of  the  many  Hindu  proverbs 
inculcates  selfishness  in  this  way: 

"  Preserve  your  wife,  preserve  your  pelf, 
But  give  them  both  to  save  yourself; 
There's  other  wealth,  another  wife, 
But  where  is  there  another  life?" 

How  different  is  this  from  the  teaching  of  our  Savior, 
"  He  that  loseth  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it,"  and,  "  If 


280  niRDLING    THE    Or.OBE. 

ail}'  man  would  be  my  disciple,  let  him  deny  himself,  take 
up  his  cross  and  follow  me."  Surely  we  should  thank  God 
for  the  pure,  holy,  unselfish  life  and  teachini^s  of  Jesus,  our 
blessed  Savior,  and  thank  him,  too,  with  full  hearts,  tliat 
the  lines  did  not  fall  to  us  in  this  land  of  idols  and  caste 
distinctions. 

One  of  the  almost  insurmountable  difficulties  in  the 
way  of  the  missionary  is  the  caste  system.  He  finds  it  even 
more'firmly  fixed  in  the  hearts  and  lives  of  the  people  than 
idolatry  itself,  and  it  may  be  said  to  be  a  great  part  of  their 
religion.  Some  missionaries  sought  success  by  admitting 
caste  into  the  congregations  of  their  con\erts,  but  the)'  sig- 
nally failed. 

It  seems  entirely  unreasonable  to  us,  but  to  the  Hindu 
it  is  a  great  birthright,  for  caste  depends  upon  birth  alone. 
No  possible  condition  of  merit  or  true  worth  avails.  One 
of  a  higher  caste  may  be  degraded  and  sink  into  a  lower 
order,  but  there  is  no  royal  road  for  ascent.  To  be  born  a 
Sudra  is  to  be  a  servant  for  life.  The  gods  have  so  decreed, 
and  so  must  it  be.  Between  each  caste  in  the  ascending 
scale  an  impassable  gulf  is  fixed.  You  might  as  well,  and 
with  far  better  hope  of  success,  talk  to  an  orthodox  Brah- 
man of  changing  his  sacred  cow  into  a  horse  or  an  elephant, 
as  to  speak  of  making  a  soldier  or  merchant  of  the  servant 
class,  or  a  Brahman  priest  of  any  one  of  a  lower  caste  than 
himself.  The  educated  Brahman  may  have  a  purpose  in  all 
this,  for  one  of  their  ow  n  number  who  renounces  Hinduism, 
says,  "Caste  is  the  bulwark  of  Hindu  idolatry,  and  the  safe- 
guard of  Brahmanical  priesthood." 

India  caste  is  the  logical  result  of  such  social  and  class 
distinctions — born  of  pride,  rank,  and  wealth — as  are  so 
rapidly  gaining  ground  in  our  own  country.  It  is,  after  all, 
only  a  less  exaggerated  form  of  class  division  which  to-day 


HOW    SHALL    THIS    EVIL    BE    MET?  281 

separates  and  alienates  people  in  Europe  and  America, 
The  "Four  Hundred"  of  New  York,  Chicago,  Philadelphia, 
and  Boston,  the  aristocracy  of  wealth  and  accidental  birth 
all  over  the  countr}',  with  its  exclusive  social  conditions, 
and  its  selfish,  arrogant  assumption,  which  says:  "I  am  bet- 
ter than  thou,"  and  the  race  question  in  the  South  are  all 
born  of  the  caste  principle.  And  these  conditions  need  be 
carried  only  a  little  farther  at  home  until  an  impassable  gulf 
is  fixed  between  the  classes  as  in  India,  "so  that  they  which 
would  pass  from  hence  to  }-ou  cannot;  neither  can  they  pass 
to  us  that  would  come  from  thence." 

The  important  question  is,  How  shall  this  great  evil  be 
met  and  overthrown?  It  will  be  a  Herculean  task,  and  it 
will  take  time.  We  believe  the  only  antidote  for  the  per- 
nicious and  poisonous  system,  as  it  exists  in  India  and  as  it 
is  growing  at  home,  is  the  self-denying  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ.  His  teachings,  full\-  accepted  and  lived  out  in  the 
lives  of  his  followers,  will  most  assuredly  destroy  all  class 
distinctions  except  those  based  on  true  worth  and  merit. 
The  Gospel  teaches  the  common  brotherhood  of  all  men, 
that  out  of  one  blood  God  made  "all  nations  of  men  to 
dwell  on  the  face  of  the  earth,"  that  we  all  are  brethren,  and 
that  there  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  bond  nor  free,  high 
nor  low,  rich  nor  poor,  "for  ye  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus." 
Caste  distinction  and  all  differences  born  of  human  pride 
have  no  place  in  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ.  On  the  con- 
trary it  forbids  all  such  things  and  will  overthrow  caste  and 
unite  all  peoples. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


Idolatry  in  India —  The  Fascination  of  Idol  Worship —  The  Degrada- 
tion of  the  People  —  Differ e7it  Sects —  The  Mark  on  the  Forehead — 
Branding  the  Body  —  The  Daily  Service  Rendered  to  the  Idol — 
Saktisni  a  Synonytn  for  Sensuality  —  Animal  Worship  —  The  Hin- 
dus' Love  for  Animals  —  A  Strange  Case  of  Suicide — The  IVor- 
ship  of  Snakes  —  The  Monkey  God  —  Plant  and  Tree  Worship. 

In  closing  the  last  chapter  it  is  said  that  the  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ  will  overthrow  caste.  It  will  do  much  more 
than  this  for  India.  It  will  not  only  destroy  caste  and  unite 
the  people  on  the  plane  of  a  common  love  for  humanity, 
but  it  will  make  impossible  the  system  which  makes  caste 
possible.  The  idolatry  of  India  will  disappear,  the  worship 
of  the  true  God  take  its  place,  and  the  root  of  caste  be  de- 
stroyed. 

Before  coming  to  India  I  had  heard  much,  and  read 
more,  about  idols  and  the  idolatry  of  the  people;  but  the 
half  has  never  yet  been  told.  Neither  can  it  be  told.  Such 
is  the  degradation  to  which  idolatry  has  sunk  many  of  the 
people  of  India  that  it  cannot,  for  the  sake  of  common 
decency,  be  put  into  print.  It  dazes  the  mind,  and  one  is 
led  to  exclaim:  "  Is  it  possible  that  men  and  women  can  go 
down  so  low  in  degradation  and  depravity  as  these  have 
gone?  "  They  have  "  changed  the  glory  of  the  uncorrupt- 
ible God  into  an  image  made  like  to  corruptible  man,  and  to 
birds  and  four-footed  beasts  and  creeping  things.  Where- 
fore God  also  gave  them  up  to  uncleanness  through  the  lust 
of  their  own   hearts,  to  dishonor  their  own  bodies  between 

themselves."     This  strong  language  of  Paul,  with  the  verses 

(282) 


IDOLATRY    A    CHARM.  283 

that  follow,  depicts  the  depraved  state  of  idolatrous  Rome, 
but  the  depth  of  degradation  found  here  is  not  described  by 
the  inspired  writer. 

In  the  short  time  we  have  been  in  India  we  have  seen 
much  of  the  idolatry  of  the  people.  We  have  visited  many 
of  the  temples  where  images  of  wood,  clay  and  stone  are 
worshiped.  We  have  seen  the  Hindu  prostrate  himself  be- 
fore his  gods  and  offer  sacrifices  to  them.  And  we  have 
seen  some  of  the  depravity  and  obscenity  of  idol  worship, 
but  we  desire  to  call  other  witnesses  to  give  testimony. 

The  eminent  Sanscrit  scholar  and  missionary  to  India, 
M.  A.  Sherring,  who  spent  thirty  years  among  the  Hindus 
and  knew  their  sacred  books,  the  Vedas,  well,  says:  "Idol- 
atry is  a  charm,  a  fascination  to  the  Hindu.  It  is,  so  to 
speak,  the  air  he  breathes.  It  is  the  food  of  his  soul.  He 
is  subdued,  enslaved,  befooled  by  it.  The  nature  of  the 
Hindu  partakes  of  the  supposed  nature  of  the  gods  whom 
he  worships.  And  what  is  that  nature?  According  to  tra- 
ditions handed  about  among  the  natives,  and  constantly 
dwelt  upon  in  their  conversation,  and  referred  to  in  their 
popular  songs, — which,  perhaps,  would  be  sufficient  proof, — 
yet  more  especially  according  to  the  numberless  statements 
and  narratives  found  in  their  sacred  writings,  on  which  these 
traditions  are  based,  it  is,  in  many  instances,  vile  and  abom- 
inable to  the  last  degree.  Idolatry  is  a  word  denoting  all 
that  is  wicked  in  imagination,  and  impure  in  practice. 
Idolatry  is  a  demon — an  incarnation  of  all  evil — but  never- 
theless as  bewitching  and  seductive  as  a  siren.  It  ensnares 
the  depraved  heart,  coils  around  it  like  a  serpent,  transfixes 
it  with  its  deadly  fangs,  and  finally  stings  it  to  death." 

Another  eminent  authority  on  Hindu  idol  worship  has 
these  severe  words  upon  the  subject.  His  party  was  travel- 
ing in  the  Madras  Presidency,  and  they  came  to  a  temple  or 


2^4  GIRDI.IXC.    THE    GLOBE. 

"  pagoda  whose  higii  tower  is  a  revoltincT  sight.  It  is,  in 
fact,  a  mass  of  obscenity  cut  in  stone,  such  as  one  could 
hardly  imagine  depravity  itself  capable  of  inventing.  Yet 
this  is  part  and  parcel  of  the  religion  of  Brahma,  that  relig- 
ion upon  the  excellency  of  which  some-  Sanscrit  professors 
expatiate!  One  sight  of  this  temple  at  Cocanada  would 
suffice  to  disabuse  them  of  their  fine  pictures  of  Hinduism 
and  of  the  elevating  power  of  the  Vedas.  A  few  pet  quota- 
tions are  always  at  hand  when  one  would  praise  Brahman- 
ism.  They  are,  in  the  oldest  Vedas,  grains  of  wheat  in 
bushels  of  chaff.  If  we  would  learn  what  the  Hindu  relig- 
ion really  is,  and  what  are  its  practical  fruits,  we  must  visit 
the  temples  of  India." 

To  enter  fully  into  the  subject  of  Hinduism,  with  its  in- 
numerable idols  and  symbols,  w'ould  be  the  work  of  years, 
and  require  volume  upon  volume  of  printed  matter;  and  yet 
the  missionary  w  ho  would  successfully  meet  and  overthrow- 
Hinduism  must  fully  acquaint  himself  with  its  religious 
teachings  and  its  philosophy.  In  a  brief  way  it  may  be  said 
the  Hindus  have  three  principal  gods,  known  to  them  as 
Brahma  the  creator,  \'ishnu  the  preserver,  and  Siva  the  de- 
stroyer. The  last  two,  with  their  wives  and  sons,  are  the 
principal  deities  worshii^ed,  and  from  these  come  all  the 
gods  of  Hinduism. 

In  a  general  way  Hindu  worshipers  may  be  divided  in- 
to five  classes  or  sects: 

1.  Those  who  worship  Siva,  classed  under  the  general 
name  of  Saivas. 

2.  Worshipers  of  Vishnu,  who  are  known  as  Vaish- 
navas. 

3.  Worshipers  of  the  wives  of  the  deities  or  female 
energ}',  called  Saktas. 


Ganesa,    the    Elephaxt-headed    God. 


GANESA.  287 

4.  Worshipers  of  Ganesa  or  Gan-pati,  designated  by 
the  name  of  Ganapatyas. 

5.  The  sun  worshipers  or  Sauras.* 

These  different  sects  use  the  same  so-called  sacred 
books,  and  from  the  foregoing  list  come  the  great  multitude 
of  gods  and  idols  which  hold  India  in  a  bondage  of  the 
worst  possible  description.  It  has  been  stated  after  a  most 
careful  estimate  that  there  are  three  hundred  and  thirty 
million  idols  worshiped  in  India.  This  vast  number  seems 
quite  incredible,  but,  after  visiting  the  bazaars  in  different 
cities  where  idols  made  of  brass  and  bronze  of  all  sorts  and 
sizes  are  exposed  for  sale,  and  having  seen  others  made  of 
clay,  moulded  by  the  potter's  hand,  and  still  others  of  wood 
and  stone,  we  are  ready  to  accept  the  statement. 

We  have  in  our  possession  a  number  of  these  idols  or 
images.  One  of  them,  Ganesa,  or  Gan-pati,  has  a  human 
body  disfigured  with  the  head  of  an  elephant.  The  accept- 
ed history  of  how  this  strange  thing  occurred  will  show  the 
character  of  the  gods  of  the  Hindus  and  also  of  the  igno- 
rance and  superstition  of  the  people  who  accept  as  inspired 
such  silly  stories.  It  is  said  that  when  Ganesa  was  born, 
his  father,  Si\a,  suspected  the  chastity  of  the  goddess,  his 
wife,  and  in  his  anger  cut  off  the  boy's  head.  Afterward, 
convinced  of  his  spouse's  innocence,  he  repented  his  rash 
act,  and  taking  the  head  from  an  elephant  placed  it  on  his 
son. 

Krishna  is  another  popular  god  among  the  Hindus. 
His  uncle  cruelly  slew  all  his  brothers  and  sisters,  and  he 
was  saved  onl\-  by  being  exchanged  by  his  mother  for  a 
shepherd's  child.  When  the  boy  grew  to  manhood  he  slew 
his  uncle.  Such  are  the  stories  told  and  accepted  in  full 
faith    by   these    simple-minded,    ignorant,    idol    worshipers. 

*Sir  Monier  Williams.    "  Brahmanism  and  Hinduism," 


288  (WKDLINC    THE    Cl.OBE. 

And  these  might  be  multiplied  indefinitely.  Many  of  the 
stories  told  are  unfit  for  publication. 

The  Hindus  have  the  curious  custom  of  placing  upon 
the  forehead  a  distinguishing  mark  of  their  sect  or  of  the 
god  they  worship.  These  marks  are  of  different  colors, 
bright  red,  yellow  and  white  being  oftenest  used.  Ashes 
are  used,  and  the  coloring  matter  is  mixed  with  these.  The 
marks  art  placed  on  the  forehead  in  the  morning  after  bath- 
ing, and  remain  there  all  through  the  day.  The  marks  of 
the  worshipers  of  Vishnu  consist  of  an  upright  bar  made 
with  bright  red  and  yellow  colors,  while  that  of  the  Saivas 
is  three  horizontal  strokes  made  with  white  ashes.  There 
are  some  seventy  of  these  marks  used,  most  of  them,  how- 
ever, arc  placed  on  the  arms  and  shoulders.  "  The  face 
marks  are  the  fewest  and  most  striking.  These  consist  of 
spots,  circles,  triangles,  straight  lines,  curved  lines,  cres- 
cents, simple  and  in  combination,  and  of  varied  colors." 

In  addition  to  the  marks  made  with  colored  matter, 
man}'  of  the  worshipers  of  Siva  and  Vishnu  brand  their 
breasts,  arms,  and  other  parts  of  their  bodies  with  distinctive 
emblems  of  their  sect.  Such  marks  are  burned  in  the  flesh 
with  red-hot  stamps,  sometimes  made  of  gold.  The  sym- 
bols of  Siva  are  the  trident  and  linga;  while  those  of  Vishnu 
are  the  dicus,  the  club  and  the  conch-shell.  The  photo- 
gravure shows  a  group  of  high-caste  Hindus,  three  men  and 
their  wives  and  a  small  bo)'.  The  face  markings  are  plainly 
shown  on  the  forehead,  the  women  being  marked  as  well  as 
the  men.  It  will  be  observed  that  they  also  wear  the  ear 
and  nose  jewels.  It  is  an  interesting  picture,  as  it  shows  the 
costumes  of  this  class  of  people. 

The  worship  of  Siva  requires  considerable  work  on  the 
part  of  those  who  attend  to  it.  Dr.  Mitra,  quoted  by  Wil- 
liams, is  authority  for  the  following  description  of  this  kind 


< 
< 

X 

< 


TWENTV-TWO    CEREMONIAL    ACTS.  29 1 

of  worship.  A  slab  or  block  of  uncarved  granite  was  used 
as  the  idol.  Blocks  of  stone  are  set  up  and  painted  red  and 
worshiped.  We  have  seen  hundreds  of  idols  of  this  kind 
worshiped  by  the  Hindus^  The  dail}'  worship  consists  of 
no  less  than  twenty-two  ceremonial  acts. 

1.  At  the  first  appearance  of  dawn  bells  are  rung  to 
rouse  the  deity  from  his  slumbers. 

2.  A  lamp  with  many  wicks  is  waved  in  front  of  the 
stone. 

3.  The  god's  teeth  are  cleansed  by  pouring  water  and 
rubbing  a  stick  about  a  foot  long  on  the  stone. 

4.  The  deity  is  washed  and  bathed  by  emptying  sever- 
al pitchers  of  water  on  the  stone. 

5.  He  is  dressed  by  placing  clothes  on  the  stone. 

6.  The   first   breakfast  is    offered,  consisting  of  grain, 
sweetmeats,  curd  and  cocoanuts. 

7.  The  god  has  his  principal  breakfast  when  cakes  and 
more  substantial  viands  are  served. 

8.  A  kind  of  a  little  lunch  is  served, 
g.     The  god  has  his  regular  lunch. 

10.  The  midday  dinner  is  served,  consisting  of  curry, 
rice,  pastr}',  cakes,  cream,  etc.,  while  a  priest  waves  a  many- 
flamed  lamp  and  burns  incense  before  a  stone. 

11.  Strains  of  noisy,  discordant  music  rouse  the  deity 
from  his  afternoon  sleep  at  4  P.  M.,  the  temple  having  been 
closed  for  the  preceding  four  hours. 

12.  Sweetmeats  are  offered. 

13.  The  afternoon  bath  is  administered. 

14.  The  god  is  dressed  as  in  the  morning. 

15.  Another  meal  is  served. 

16.  Another  bath  is  administered. 

17.  The  full  dress  ceremony  takes  place,  when  fine, 
costly  vestments,  yellow  flowers  and  perfumery  are  placed 
on  the  stone. 


292  (IIKDI.ING    THK    CI. QBE. 

18.     Another  offerin;^  of  food  follows, 
ig.     iVftcr    an    hour's    interval     the    regular    supper    is 
served. 

20.  I'^ive  masks  and  a  kind  of  musical  instrument  are 
brought  in  and  oblations  are  made. 

21.  Waving  of  lights  is  performed  before  bedtime. 

22.  A  bedstead  is  brought  into  the  sanctuary  and  the 
god  composed  to  sleep. 

The  Hindus  do  not  starve  their  gods.  Of  course  it  is 
understood  that  the  priests  do  the  eating,  and  personal  ob- 
servation leads  us  to  say  that  they  are  sleek  and  fat,  and 
show  evidence  of  having  an  abundance  of  good  food.  Any 
surplus  is  sold  and  the  money  belongs  to  the  priests. 
Many  of  the  priests  do  not  believe  in  all  this  nonsense,  but 
they  say  the  people  want  it  so,  and  they  are  willing  to  serve 
them;  for  in  this  way  they  get  their  living.  Why  should 
they  not  do  it?  There  are  some  ministers  of  the  Gospel 
who  are  treading  dangerously  near  the  path  trodden  by  the 
Hindu  priest — preaching  to  please  the  people. 

But  the  worst  features  of  Hinduism  and  idolatry  are 
yet  to  be  related;  that  is,  so  far  as  it  is  possible  to  relate 
them  with  due  regard  to  the  rules  of  propriety.  The  wor- 
ship of  the  wives  of  Vishnu  and  Siva,  or  female  energy,  un- 
der the  name  of  Saktism  is  so  utterly  degrading  in  its  char- 
acter as  to  more  than  deserve  these  strong  words  by  a  thor- 
oughh'  reliable  author:  "  In  Saktism  we  were  confronted 
with  the  worst  results  of  the  worst  superstitious  ideas  that 
have  ever  disgraced  and  degraded  the  human  race."  Sen- 
suality, drunkenness,  carnal  passion,  licentiousness  and  all 
the  grosser  appetites  are  held  to  be  forms  of  \-irtue.  All 
social  rules  and  restrictions  are  disregarded,  and  the  vilest 
orgies  are  indulged  in  by  those  who  seek  in  this  way  to 
gratify   their    deities.     Prostitution    is    made    a   virtue    and 


PROSTITUTION    A    VIRTUE.  2g3 

adultery  has  tlie  sanction  of  a  religious  rite.  Thousands 
of  innocent  girls,  even  before  their  birth,  are  dedicat- 
ed to  the  idol  temple  service,  where,  in  the  name  and  in  the 
service  of  their  gods  they  lead  lives  of  shame.  While 
it  is  claimed  that  they  are  married  to  the  idol,  they  at 
once  become  the  slaves  of  licentious  priests  who  rule  in 
the  temples  where  they  belong.  All  this  but  faintly  de- 
scribes the  depth  of  the  degradation  to  which  idolatr)'  has 
sunk  these  people.  Depravity  ami  sin  seem  to  have  no 
depth  that  has  not  been  reached  b)-  them.  Ignorance  and 
superstition  have  bound  them  with  error's  chain,  until  they 
are  led  to  commit  all  these  excesses  with  the  sanction  of 
their  idols,  and  in  the  belief  that  by  them  they  will  please 
their  gods. 

We  have  heard  it  said  by  those  at  home  who  are  not 
favorable  to  sending  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen,  "We  have 
the  heathen  at  home,  convert  them  first,  and  then  it  will  be 
time  to  go  to  foreign  lands."  If  the  apostles  had  taken  a 
course  of  this  kind,  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  would  have 
remained  in  Palestine  for  many  centuries.  It  is  true  we 
have  heathen  at  home,  but  they  have  access  to  the  Bible, 
and  we  may  thank  God  that  to  the  enlightened  conscience 
of  our  nation  sin  is  sin,  while  here  it  is,  even  in  its  worst  as- 
pect, a  form  of  righteousness.  The  people  at  home  have 
the  Gospel,  here  they  sit  in  the  deepest  darkness  of  sin's 
darkest  night. 

We  have  asked  ourselves  o\er  and  over  again — since 
coming  into  actual  contact  with  idolatry,  and  coming  to 
know  by  hearing  and  seeing  the  reality  as  it  exists — how 
shall  we,  as  a  church,  escape  if  we  neglect  to  do  our  part  in 
giving  the  Gospel  of  light  to  these  people? 

Probably  many  of  us  will  go  on,  as  we  have  been  going 
in  the  past,  building  fine  houses,   costing  from  fixe  to  ten 


294  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

thousand  dollars,  antl  furnishing  them  with  costly  carpets, 
rich  furniture,  expensive  organs  and  pianos,  and  with  pic- 
tures and  bric-a-brac,  because  the  love  of  the  beautiful  in 
us  must  be  cultivated;  probably  many  of  us  will  go  on  load- 
ing our  tables  to  groaning  with  delicacies  and  luxuries,  eat- 
ing to  repletion,  chewing  and  smoking  tobacco,  riding  in 
fine  carriages  drawn  by  splendid  horses  in  expensive  har- 
ness and  costly  trappings,  wearing  gold  and  costly  array, 
spending  the  Lord's  money  for  that  which  is  not  bread  and 
for  that  w4iich  satisfieth  not.  and  letting  these  poor  souls 
die  in  the  depths  of  sin  and  idolatry. 

We  repeat  again,  this  is  what  some  of  us  are  doing,  and 
shall  we  go  on  in  this  way  until  some  day  God  calls  us  as 
unfaiithful  stewards  to  give  an  account  of  our  stewardship? 
And  the /I  what?  Let  each  answer  this  question  for  himself, 
and  answer  it  not  as  unto  man,  but  as  unto  God! 

And  here  is  another  question:  How  many  missionaries 
could  we  support  in  India  and  in  other  parts  of  the  world, 
if  all  the  actual  unnecessaries  of  life  were  cut  off  among  us, 
such  as  tobacco,  table  delicacies,  costly  garments,  useless 
photographs,  unnecessarily  expensive  houses  and  furniture, 
and  indulgences  which  only  gratify  a  perverted  taste  and 
appetite?  Would  one  hundred  missionaries  be  too  high  an 
estimate? 

It  is  not  always  easy  to  obtain  reliable  information  in 
traveling  through  a  country  without  a  speaking  knowledge 
of  the  language.  Guides  and  even  guidebooks  are  not  al- 
ways to  be  depended  upon.  The  former  are  often  given  to 
exaggeration,  and  the  latter  are  sometimes  gotten  up  more 
for  the  money  to  be  made  in  selling  them  than  for  giving 
reliable  iniormation.  In  these  gleanings  dependence  has 
not  been  placed  upon  information  picked  up  at  random  here 
and  there,  but  the  best  authorities  on  India  and  Hinduism, 


mkmmmm^mM 


An  Idol. 


ANIMAL    WORSHIP.  297 

Brahmanism  and  Buddhism  have  been  examined  and  used. 
It  may  be  in  point  to  state  that  the  best  books  on  India  are 
sold  at  very  high  prices.  Sir  Monier  Williams'  books  on 
Buddhism  and  Hinduism,  although  of  only  medium  size, 
bound  in  cloth,  cost  about  six  dollars  each.  It  is  some- 
times urged  that  our  books  at  home  are  too  high,  but  com- 
pared with  the  prices  here  and  in  England,  they  are  very 
cheap. 

Since  the  foregoing  part  of  this  chapter  was  written  we 
have  visited  some  temples,  the  stone  carvings  upon  which 
are  too  obscene  and  degrading  to  even  think  about.  If 
tliere  is  a  depth  of  degradation  and  vileness  that  has  not 
been  reached  by  the  Hindu  Saktists  in  their  idolatr}',  it  has 
not  been  made  known  to  humanity.  It  is  really  pleasant 
to  turn  away  from  the  most  revolting  phase  of  idolatry  to 
one  at  least  less  degrading  in  its  tendencies,  that  is,  animal 
worship. 

Before  giving  a  brief  account  of  animal  worship,  it  is 
only  right  to  say  that  the  educated  Brahmans  do  not  be- 
lieve in  idolatry.  In  conversation  with  them  they  have  told 
us  that  there  is  nothing  in  the  idols,  but  the  people  w'ant 
them  and  worship  them,  and  the  priest  gets  his  living  and  is 
satisfied  to  allow  them  ignorantly  to  worship  stocks  and 
stones.  Ignorance  is  the  devil's  stronghold.  In  the  days 
of  slavery  in  the  South,  laws  were  enacted  against  educating 
the  negro.  So  here  the  lower  classes  are  kept  in  ignorance, 
the  ready  handmaid  of  t}'rann\-  and  oppression.  If  the 
masses  were  educated  the  power  of  the  Brahman  priest 
would  be  shaken  off  and  idolatry  receive  a  deadly  blow. 

Animal  worship  as  it  is  found  in  India  has  been  com- 
mon among  idolatrous  peoples  in  all  ages  of  the  world. 
The  Egyptians,  as  is  well  known,  worshiped  many  kinds  of 
animals,  including  birds,  reptiles,  and  even  insect  life.     The 


298  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

Israelites  made  their  golden  calf  at  Mt.  Sinai,  having  re- 
ceived their  idea  of  the  idol  from  their  taskmasters  in 
Egypt,  who  worshiped  Apis,  or  the  White  Ox.  But  his- 
tory gives  no  record  equaling  the  excess  to  which  the  wor- 
ship of  animals  has  been  carried  in  India.  According  to  a 
popular  belief  among  the  people,  there  are  no  less  than 
eight  million,  four  hundred  thousand  living  creatures  into 
which  a  man  may  pass  before  reaching  a  final  resting  place. 
And  this  belief,  firmly  held  by  the  masses,  has  led  them  to 
worship  everything  in  which  there  is  life.  This  may,  and 
does,  seem  quite  absurd  to  us,  but  it  has  to  the  Hindu  the 
reality  of  an  unbounded  faith.  He  firmly  believes  that  not 
only  his  own  soul,  but  even  the  soul  of  his  god  may  pass  in- 
to an  animal  form.  Indeed,  we  need  not  go  back  very  far 
in  the  history  of  our  own  ancestry  until  we  find  them  wor- 
shiping animals  and  offering  human  sacrifices  to  their  idols; 
and  such  would  we  be  to-day,  were  it  not  for  the  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

This  belief  among  the  Hindus  accounts  for  the  fact 
that  they  rarely  eat  flesh  and  take  no  delight  in  killing  ani- 
mals. Hunting  simply  for  sport  is  unknown  among  them. 
Many  of  the  most  radical  of  them  will  drink  no  water  with- 
out straining  it,  lest  they  inadvertently  destroy  animal  life. 
One  necessary  article  to  the  so-called  holy  man's  scanty 
outfit  is  a  small  water  strainer.  This  belief  also  begets  in 
the  Hindu  a  strong  love  for  all  of  God's  creatures;  and  it  is 
alwa}'S  a  matter  of  great  interest  and  curiosity  to  see  how 
animals  of  almost  every  description  live  on  terms  of  the 
very  closest  intimacy  with  human  beings.  We  observed 
this  relationship  many  times  while  in  India.  While  we 
write  these  lines  a  crow  sits  within  a  few  feet  of  us,  eyeing 
the  movement  of  the  pen  with  much  apparent  interest.  No 
fear  is  manifested,  for  even  the  birds  trust  their  friends. 


The    Four-headed  Brahma, 


HINDU    LOVE    FOR    ANIMALS.  3OI 

And  so  here  in  India  the  feathered  songsters  build  their 
nests  and  brood  their  _\oung  about  the  houses,  by  the  \va\-- 
side,  and  in  the  fields  before  the  eyes  of  every  passer-by, 
and  within  easy  reach  of  every  schoolboy,  without  the  least 
fear  of  being  molested.  The  birds  of  the  air  and  the  beasts 
of  the  field  share  a  portion  of  the  home  and  food  of  the 
farmer  as  a  matter  of  right,  without  protest  or  grudging  on 
his  part.  In  the  towns  and  cities  the  ox  and  the  cow  roam 
at  their  own  will  on  sidewalk  and  pavement,  and  jostle  you 
on  the  streets;  monkeys  make  their  homes  on  the  housetop 
and  amuse  you  with  their  playful  antics,  and  annoy  you 
with  thieving  propensities;  squirrels  frisk  about  the  veran- 
das and  gladl)-  share  your  meal  on  the  slightest  invitation; 
parrots  in  brilliant  plumage  of  red,  green  and  gold  chatter 
about  the  windows  and  peer  inquisitively  into  your  cham- 
bers. Crows  sit  on  your  window  sills  and  make  themselves 
quite  at  home  in  your  rooms,  carrying  off  and  hiding  any 
small  article  that  may  please  their  fancy;  sparrows  come 
and  go  at  their  own  sweet  will,  picking  crumbs  from  the 
tablecloth  or  bread-plate,  and  resting  complacently  upon 
any  projection  on  the  wall;  lizards  chase  each  other  up  and 
down  the  walls  of  your  sitting-room  and  hide  themselves 
av^ay  in  the  folds  of  your  bed-clothing;  snakes,  at  some 
places  during  the  rainy  season,  make  themselves  unpleas- 
antly familiar  with  the  interior  of  your  home;  and  if  your 
house  be  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  the  jackals  will  give 
you  a  nightly  serenade  with  almost  human-like  voice. 

We  confess  that  the  Hindu  love  for  animals  touches  a 
responsive  chord  in  our  heart,  and  while  we  would  love  to 
have  them  all  embrace  Christianity  and  worship  the  true 
and  living  God,  we  should  not  like  to  see  them  lose  their 
sympathy  for  the  lowest  of  God's  creatures.  We  willingly 
admit  that  many  professing  Christians,  who  beat  and  abuse 


302  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

their  faithful  animal  servants,  might  well  learn  lessons  of 
mercy  from  the  Hindus.  Let  us  remember  that  our  Bible 
teaches  that  "a  righteous  man  regardeth  the  life  of  his 
beast,"  and  that  the  Master  said:  "Be  ye  therefore  merci- 
ful." 

Of  all  animals  worshiped  by  the  Hindus,  the  cow  and 
ox  must  be  placed  at  the  head  of  the  list.  In  a  preceding 
chapter  attention  was  called  to  the  worship  of  the  cow.  To 
a  people  who  never  kill  animals  for  food,  and  who  have  no 
horses  for  their  plows  and  carts,  the  value  of  the  cow  for 
nourishment  and  the  ox  for  farming  purposes  cannot  be 
overestimated.  The  cow  is  held  in  the  highest  veneration. 
Every  part  of  its  body  is  the  supposed  abode  of  some  one 
of  the  Hindus'  many  deities.  Every  hair  on  its  body  is 
held  sacred,  and  to  the  cow  worshiper,  its  five  products  are 
of  all  things  most  holy.*  The  very  ashes  of  her  excreta,  if 
applied  to  the  person  of  a  wicked  man  will,  it  is  supposed, 
make  a  good  man  of  him.  Believing  all  this,  it  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  that  the  heaven  of  one  of  the  Hindu  gods, — 
"Krishna," — is  known  as  Go-loka  or,  literally,  "cow  world." 

The  Hindus  also  believe  in  a  divine  cow  known  as 
Surabhi  or  "cow  of  plenty,"  representations  of  which  are  to 
be  seen  in  temples,  and  are  also  kept  in  houses  for  the  pur- 
pose of  domestic  worship.  The  ox  is  dedicated  to  the  god 
Siva,  and  in  every  temple  where  the  symbols  of  this  god  are 
displayed  is  to  be  seen  the  stone  image  of  the  ox  in  a  re- 
clining posture  facing  the  idol.  Pious  Hindus  believe  that 
they  cannot  attain  higher  merit  than  to  brand  an  ox  with 
Siva's  trident  and  turn  it  loose  to  roam  at  full  freedom 
about  the  city  of  Benares,  or  Gaya.  At  Benares  we  saw  a 
number  of  these  huge  animals  walking  independently  about 


*  Sir  Monier  Williams. 


cow    WORSHIP.  303 

the  streets.     The  gift  and  turning  loose  of  such  an  animal  is 
attended  with  much  ceremony. 

Cows  are  also  kept  in  Hindu  temples.  We  visited 
many  of  these  temples,  and  we  could  see  scores  of  cows 
stalled  inside  where  the  priests  would  not  allow  us  to  walk 
lest  we  should  pollute  the  holy  place.  Even  if  we  entered 
the  outer  court  we  were  required  to  put  off  our  shoes.  The 
temples  were,  according  to  our  notion,  made  filthy  by  being 
turned  into  cow  stables,  but  to  the  Hindu  this  only  purified 
and  made  them  holy.  How  radically  different  are  our 
views  as  to  what  is  pure  and  cleanly! 

To  show  to  what  excess  cow  worship  has  been  carried, 
the  following  fact,  related  by  Williams,  is  given:  "At  Ogra 
there  is  an  image  of  a  man  named  Mukunda.  The  Brah- 
man, who  was  my  guide  when  I  visited  this  place,  gravely 
informed  me  that  it  represented  a  celebrated  saint,  who  felt 
himself  compelled  to  commit  suicide  by  jumping  into  a 
neighboring  river,  as  a  penalty  for  having  accidentally  swal- 
lowed the  hair  of  a  cow  by  drinking  milk  without  straining 
it." 

Snakes  are  the  second  class  of  animals  to  which  divine 
honors  are  given  in  India.  There  is  something  about  the 
very  name  itself  that  gives  one  an  involuntary  shudder,  and 
how  people  can  worship  these  reptiles  is  difficult  to  under- 
stand. It  is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  they  excite  great 
fear  among  the  people.  Perhaps  in  no  other  country  in  the 
world  are  there  so  many  poisonous  snakes  as  are  to  be 
found  in  India.  Some  of  them  by  merely  pricking  the  skin 
cause  almost  instantaneous  death.  Among  these  is  the 
well-known  deadly  black  cobra,  and  the  almost  equally  ven- 
omous rock  snake.  Death  from  the  bite  of  the  cobra  usual- 
ly occurs  within  a  very  few  hours  after  the  wound  has  been 
inflicted. 


304  CIKDI.INC    Till':    r.I.ORE. 

Tiic  habit  of  tlic  natives  in  walkinj^  alxnit  barefoot  with 
the  lower  hiubs  eiitirel\'  unclad,  exposes  them  to  constant 
peril  of  beint^  bitten  by  these  deadly  reptiles.  Reliable 
authorit}'  places  the  number  who  die  annually  in  India  from 
this  cause  alone  at  twenty-five  thousand.  So  great  has 
been  the  destruction  of  human  life  from  this  source,  that 
tlie  British  Government  offered  a  small  money  reward  for 
every  poisonous  snake  killed.  Ver)'  few  of  the  nati\'e  Hin- 
dus, howe\cr,  could  be  induced  to  kill  the  reptiles,  fearing, 
as  they  said,  lest  they  might  kill  one  of  their  gods.  The 
English-speaking  people  with  the  missionaries  and  Mos- 
lems had  no  such  scruples,  and  between  the  years  1875- 
80  over  one  million  venomous  snakes  were  killed,  for 
which  the  government  paid  the  stipuLatcd  reward.  During 
the  same  period  one  hundred  and  three  thousand  persons 
died  from  snake  bites.  One  of  the  missionaries,  Mr.  A. 
Haegart,  told  us  at  Calcutta  that  he  had  himself  killed  no 
less  than  three  hundred  snakes  during  his  stay  in  India, 
over  a  hundred  of  them  being  deadly  cobras. 

Whether  the  motive  be  fear  or  something  else,  the  ig- 
norant Hindu  is  much  given  to  serpent  worship.  It  is  stat- 
ed that  some  years  ago  there  were  in  Cashmere  seven 
lunulred  temples  for  snake  worship.  At  Benares  we  had 
pointed  out  to  us,  by  our  intelligent  Hindu  guide,  a  huge 
stone  image  of  a  cobra,  to  which  offerings  were  being  made. 
Our  guide  said,  "  We  worship  the  image  of  the  cobra,  hop- 
ing that  b)'  so  doing  we  shall  be  protected  from  being  bit- 
ten by  poisonous  snakes."  At  the  same  place  is  a  snake 
pool  which  is  believed  to  possess  great  cleansing  power.  If 
a  man  bathes  in  it  he  is  assured  by  the  attendant  priest,  who 
receives  a  small  gratuity,  that  an}'  sin  he  may  have  commit- 
ted will  l)e  washed  away.  Some  draw  the  form  of  a  serpent 
on  their  walls  and  do  homage  to  it.     Others  go  to  the  holes 


KKPTILE    WOKSlIir.  3O5 

where  the  snakes  have  their  underground  lionies  and  place 
sticks  in  the  ground,  wrap  cotton  thread  about  them  and 
make  offerings  of  flowers  and  food  to  the  reptiles. 

Pool,  in  his  work  on  India,  gives  the  following  quota- 
tion from  a  lecture  by  an  educated  native:  "  Though  people 
die  from  their  venomous  bites,  serpents  are  worshiped  as 
living  deities  by  man)'  of  my  fellow-coimtrymen.  Respect- 
able citizens  deem  it  a  duty  to  set  apart  a  cool  patch  in 
their  gardens  for  the  comfortable  residence  of  snakes. 
Occasionally  tlie  reptiles  creep  out  into  the  house  itself, 
just  by  way  of  a  little  change.  I  have  seen  many  title-deeds 
of  estates  in  which  the  snal^es  are  conveyed  along  with 
other  rights  to  the  purchaser.  Cobras  wander  about  freely 
and  in  broad  daylight  in  certain  of  the  famous  pagodas. 
There  is  a  temple  dedicated  to  Krishna,  which  is  particular- 
ly sacred  to  cobras.  Every  time  I  have  visited  the  tempL 
I  have  been  greeted  by  one  or  more  of  these  reptiles. 
Once  I  saw  a  huge  cobra  quietly  passing  a  few  yards  off, 
followed  by  a  train  of  worshipers  with  clasped  hands.  Sud- 
denly it  turned  and  began  to  crawl  toward  me,  when  I  sud- 
denly remembered  that  I  had  urgent  business  elsewhere 
and  hurriedl}'  left  the  sacred  precincts." 

The  same  author  tells  how  the  natives  place  offerings 
of  sugar,  butter,  flour,  milk  and  fruit  near  the  holes  where 
the  reptiles  have  their  homes.  Th.e  women  and  children 
then  join  hands  and  circle  five  times  round  the  place,  and 
then  lie  down  and  watch  anxiously  to  see  if  the  snakes  wall 
come  out  of  their  holes  and  partalce  of  the  things  presented 
to  them.  If  so,  which  is  usual))'  the  case,  the  foolish  people 
are  delighted,  and  go  back  to  their  homes  believing  that 
their  god  has  heard  their  prayers  and  will  give  them  a 
blessing. 

It  makes  the  heart  sad  to  see  and  know  that  all  these 


306  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

things  are  terrible  realities  among  India's  millions  of  igno- 
rant heathen.  May  the  day  speedily  come  when  these  peo- 
ple shall  know  and  worship  God,  and  learn  that  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ  there  is  pardon  for  all  sins,  for  "as  Moses 
lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so  must  the 
Son  of  man  be  lifted  up,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life." 

But  the  depth  of  absurdity,  it  seems  to  us,  is  reached  in 
Hindu  animal  worship  when  divine  honors  are  paid  to  the 
monkey.  That  this  mischievous,  thieving,  antic-loving  lit- 
tle animal  should  be  placed  among  the  gods  of  India  seems 
almost  too  ridiculous  for  belief.  And  yet,  absurd  as  it 
may  seem  to  us,  it  is  too  true.  The  Hindu  is  not  at  all  par- 
ticular in  selecting  his  objects  of  worship,  for  the  monkey 
is  perhaps  the  most  mischievous  and  ungodlike  of  all  ani- 
mals. Very  often  we  are  told  a  troop  of  them  will  appear 
in  a  village  and  out  of  mere  love  of  mischief  proceed  to 
tear  off  the  roof  of  a  native  house.  The  natives  would  nev- 
er dream  of  killing  one  of  them.  He  is  to  them  an  imper- 
sonation of  one  of  their  gods,  and  his  sacred  character 
shields  him  from  all  harm. 

Brother  Stover  informed  us  that  when  the  villagers 
quarrel,  as  they  sometimes  do,  they  throw  handfuls  of  rice 
on  each  other's  house  roofs,  and  the  monkeys  assist  them 
by  tearing  up  the  tiles  in  search  for  the  food.  He  also  re- 
lated the  following  incident:  "  Mr.  McDonald,  an  English 
engineer,  spends  his  vacation  in  hunting.  He  was  called 
upon  at  one  time  by  a  native,  whose  stock  of  patience  had 
been  entirely  exhausted  by  the  destruction  of  his  crops  by  a 
lot  of  monkeys.  He  requested  the  hunter  to  come  to  the 
village  and  shoot  some  of  them.  Mr.  McDonald  went,  but 
when  about  to  begin  the  execution  the  native's  heart  failed 
him  and  he  cried  out,  '  O  Sahib,  don't  kill  him,  don't  kill 


MONKEY    GOD.  307 

him,  he  is  our  god.'  Then  Mr.  McDonald  argued  the  point 
with  the  Hindu  in  this  way:  '  You  say  the  monkey  is  a  god, 
I  say  he  is  not.  You  can't  kill  a  god  by  shooting  him.  I 
will  shoot  the  monkey,  and  if  he  dies  then  I  am  right;  if  he 
lives  then  he  is  a  god  and  you  are  right.'  To  this  very 
reasonable  proposition  the  native  agreed.  Result — one  less 
monkey  god  for  India." 

The  name  of  the  monkey  god  is  Hanuman,  and  he  is 
held  in  high  esteem  and  is  greatly  reverenced  by  the  igno- 
rant worshipers  of  Vishnu.  His  images  are  often  hideous 
caricatures  of  the  human  body  with  the  head  of  a  monkey. 
They  are  also  sometimes  seen  in  the  form  of  a  shapeless 
mass  of  stone  or  clay.  They  are  painted,  or  rather  daubed 
all  over  with  red  paint  of  the  brightest  hue,  and  then  part  of 
the  oil  that  is  given  as  an  offering  is  poured  over  the  idol. 
Nothing  can  be  more  disgusting  in  appearance  than  these 
hideous  images  painted  red  and  reeking  with  oil,  to  which 
the  dust  adheres. 

Brother  Stover  and  myself,  in  our  frequent  walks  about 
Bulsar,  often  saw  people  buying  small  quantities  of  oil  and 
carrying  it  in  brass  vessels  to  the  temples  where  it  was 
handed  to  the  priest  as  an  offering  to  the  idol.  With  a 
spoon  the  priest  would  pour  a  small  portion  on  the  image 
and  then  bless  the  donor  and  place  a  red  mark  on  his  fore- 
head, using  a  little  of  the  soft  paint  from  the  idol.  Then, 
after  prostrating  himself  before  the  idol  and  repeating  a 
form  of  prayer — simply  a  repetition  of  the  god's  name — the 
worshiper  would  depart,  doubtless  feeling  that  he  had 
served  his  god. 

We  saw  many  of  these  idols  while  in  India,  and  we 
thought  many  times.  How  can  people  be  so  foolish  as  to 
bow  down  before  these  gods  of  clay  and  stone!  Williams 
tells  of  an  image  of  the  monkey  god  which  he  came  across 


308  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

in  Poonali.  It  was  said  to  be  over  two  luindretl  years  old. 
.\t  the  lime  a  man  was  in  the  act  of  paiptin^r  jt  red,  and  an- 
other man  was  prostratinf^  himself  at  full  length  on  the 
t^rouiul  before  it.  Offerint^s  of  oil  are  being  constantly 
made  to  the  images  of  Hanuman.  Of  course  only  a  very 
small  portion  of  the  oil  is  poured  on  the  idol,  the  rest  being 
appropriated  and  sold  by  the  priest.  And  this  brings  him 
a  large  income.  It  is  authoritatively  stated  that  a  single 
offering,  made  by  a  wealthy  worshiper  to  an  image  of  Hanu- 
man at  Kaira,  consisted  of  eight  hundred  gallons  of  oil. 
The  accompanying  photogravure  shows  a  wealthy  Hindu 
in  the  act  of  worshiping  his  god.  The  priest  sits  by  with 
folded  hands  and  solemn  face.  The  crov/n  of  his  head  has 
been  carefully  shaved.  Notice  the  three  horizontal  bars 
drawn  on  his  forehead,  marking  him  as  a  follower  of  Siva. 
He  has  the  sacred  cord  thrown  over  his  shoulder.  He 
seems  to  be  in  deep  meditation  and  is  probably  offering  a 
prayer  for  the  worshiper.  His  appearance  shows  that  he 
has  been  well  fed.  Whoever  else  may  starve  and  die  of 
famine,  the  priest  will  not  suffer  for  the  want  of  food.  The 
worshiper  has  before  him  a  small  dish  in  which  is  an  image 
of  his  god.  He  has  in  his  right  hand  a  spoon  and  is  pour- 
ing oil  on  the  head  of  the  image.  He  has  a  bright,  intelli- 
gent face,  and  it  al\va)'s  seemed  incredible  to  me  that  men 
of  the  apparent  intelligence  of  this  one  would  worship  an 
image  made  with  men's  hands. 

We  have  space  here  for  but  one  more  illustration  of  the 
veneration  in  which  monkeys  are  held.  The  accoimt  is  giv- 
en in  Ward's  "  Hindus."  To  us  it  seems  incredible,  but  in 
India  it  is  not  thought  out  of  the  wa}'.  A  certain  rich  rajah 
(nati\e  prince)  of  Bengal  spent  about  thirt)'  thousand  dol- 
lars in  marrying  a  male  and  female  monke>'.  The  cere- 
monies lasted  twelve  clays  and  were  carried  on  with   all  the 


o 

p 


5^ 
< 

o 

H 
O 

O 


TREE    WORSHIP.  3II 

pomp,  pageant  and  expense  usual  at  the  weddings  of  the 
rich.  The  male  monkey  was  dressed  in  the  richest  robes 
with  a  crown  fastened  upon  his  head,  and  was  borne  along 
in  a  costl}'  vehicle,  with  a  whole  array  of  servants  to  wait 
upon  him.  Money  was  lavishly  spent,  and  there  was  much 
feasting  and  great  rejoicing,  the  prince  doubtless  believing 
that  in  this  way  he  was  showing  great  honor  to  his  god  and 
securing  a  vast  amount  of  merit  for  himself. 

But  space  forbids  that  we  should  go  further  into  the 
details  of  animal  worship,  as  found  throughout  India.  The 
subject  is  practicably  inexhaustible.  We  ma}-,  in  addition  to 
the  animals  already  named,  say  that  elephants,  lions,  tigers, 
buffaloes,  horses,  sheep,  dogs,  cats,  eagles,  crows,  peafowls, 
the  tortoise,  turtles,  fish  and  alligators  or  crocodiles  are 
worshiped  by  many  Hindus.  As  is  well  known,  at  one  time 
it  was  quite  common  for  mothers  to  throw  their  infant  girls 
into  the  jaws  of  the  sacred  crocodiles  of  the  Ganges  river  as 
an  offering  to  their  god.  Happil}'  this  terrible  practice  has 
been  stamped  out  by  British  authority. 

In  addition  to  animal  worship,  the  worship  of  trees  and 
plants  is  also  quite  common  in  all  parts  of  India.  To  the 
ignorant  Hindu  some  of  these  are  deities  themselves,  while 
others  are  believed  to  be  permeated  b)'  the  essence  of  cer- 
tain deities.  Among  these  are  the  pipal  or  bo  tree,  sacred 
to  Hindu  and  Buddhist  alike,  the  banyan  tree  and  the  soma 
and  tulsi  plants.  To  the  latter  plant  the  following  prayer  is 
offered:  "  I  adore  that  tulsi  in  whose  roots  are  all  the  sacred 
places  of  pilgrimage,  in  whose  center  are  all  the  deities,  and 
in  whose  upper  branches  are  all  the  Vedas." 

But  the  great  estimation  in  which  the  tulsi  is  held  is 
best  indicated  by  the  fact  that  it  is  to  be  found  in  almost 
every  respectable  Hindu  household  throughout  India.  It 
is  a  small  shrub,  not  too  big  to  be  cultivated   in  a  good- 


312  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

sized  flower  pot,  and  is  often  placet!  in  rooms.  Generally, 
however,  it  is  plantctl  in  the  coin"t\'arcl  of  a  wtll-to-do  man's 
house,  with  a  space  arouiu!  it  where  the  o\\  ner  ma\'  rever- 
entl}'  walk.  In  real  fact,  the  tulsi  is  above  all  others  a  do- 
mestic or  hoiiscb.old  di\  inity.  As  a  rule  the  one  daily  re- 
ligious rite  among  the  Hindu  women  consists  in  walking 
round  the  tulsi  plant,  saying  pra\'ers  to  it,  (U'  in  placing 
offerings  of  flowers  and  rice  before  it.  It  is  also  c|uite  com- 
mon to  marry  the  tulsi  jjlant  to  the  image  of  Krishni.  The 
idol  is  brought  from  one  of  the  temples  in  procession  to  the 
residence  where  the  tulsi  is  ke[it.  The  idol  is  placed  in  a 
palanquin  and  followed  by  a  long  train  of  attendants. 
Then  the  marriage  festivities  are  celebrated,  perhaps  at  the 
cost  of  several  hundred  dollars.* 

We  have  entered  at  some  length  into  the  subject  of  idol 
worship  in  India,  ai^d  some  ma\'  conclude  that  too  much 
has  been  giv^en.  But,  as  before  intimated,  we  ha\e  merely 
glanced  at  the  subject,  gleaning  a  little  here  and  there  as 
we  passed  along.  Volume  upon  \olume  might  be  written, 
and  still  much  v.ould  remain  to  be  told.  It  is  hoped,  how- 
ever, that  these  brief  and  hastily-written  "  gleanings  "  may 
give  the  reader  a  general  idea  as  to  how  wholh'  and  how 
fully  the  Hindu  mind  is  dominated  b)-  idolatr}'  and  idol 
worship.  There  is  not  even  the  ordinar\'  excuse  of  image 
worshi}).  that  the  Creator  is  worshiped  through  the  idol. 
All  the  Hindus  veritably  believe  that  the  ver)-  essence  of 
the  deity  is  in  the  wood,  the  cla}',  the  stone,  or  the  metal  of 
which  idols  are  made.  It  is  also  hoped  that  the  thoughtful 
reader  may  be  impressed  with  the  great  necessit}'  of  giving 
to  these  benighted  heathen  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  We 
have  but  recently  ascertained,  from  reliable  statistics,  that 
Hinduism  numbers  not  less  than  two  hundred  million  souls 


*"  Bralimanism  and  Hinduism,''  pp.  334-35. 


TEACH    ALL    NATIONS.  313 

and  that,  by  the  natural  preponderance  of  births  over 
deaths,  it  is  rapidl\-  incrcasins^-  in  numbers.  Whatever  we 
do  in  this  work,  in  our  day  and  n-eneration,  must  be  done 
quickl)'.  Here  are  millions  upon  millions  of  human  beings, 
made  in  the  image  of  God,  who  have  never  had  the  slight- 
est opportunity  to  hear  of  Christ  and  his  salvation.  And 
these  are  fully  embraccil  in  one  of  the  most  positive  com- 
mands in  the  New  Testament,  a  command  that  comes  to  us 
iii  full  force,  because  we  strongly  profess  to  obey  all  the 
commandments,  "  Go  ye  therefore,  and  teach  all  na- 
tions."    Will  we  obe}'  the  Master's  last  commandment? 


CHAPTER  XII. 


Among  the  Common  People  —  Manners  and  Customs  —  Burning  the 
Dead —  A  Cremation  at  the  Riiterside  —  "  Ram  Ram  "  —  Vain  Rep- 
etitions—  Sorrow  Makes  the  World  Akin— Burning  of  Widows  — 
The  Hindu  Widow  at  the  Judgment  —  Burning  Ghat — Native 
Houses  —  Home  Life  of  the  Villagers — Daily  Religious  Service  — 
Strict  Observance  of  Rites  and  Ceremonies — The  Parsi  Offering 
his  Evening  Prayer —  Woman  Gritiding  at  the  Mill  —  Dress  — 
Dhoti —  Rings  Jor  the  Arms  and  Legs —  Untruthfulness  of  Natives. 

The  manners,  customs  and  home  life  of  the  people  of 
India  were  of  absorbing  interest  to  me,  and  a  description  of 
them  may  be  equally  interesting  to  others.  I  give  not  only 
such  incidents  as  came  under  my  own  observation,  but 
glean  from  all  available  sources  of  information.  By  coming 
into  personal  contact  with  the  people,  going  into  their 
homes,  meeting  them  in  their  villages,  learning  from  the 
missionaries  we  met  and  from  the  books  read,  reliable  in- 
formation has  been  gained  and  is  given  to  those  who  may 
care  to  read. 

It  must  always  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  India  is 
a  large  country  with  a  score  of  languages  and  as  many  dif- 
ferent peoples,  and  that  what  is  true  of  one  part  of  the 
country  may  not  be  true  of  another.  If  a  traveler  from  Eu- 
rope should  visit  our  country,  landing  at  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  and  visit  several  of  the  Southern  States,  where  the 
colored  population  equals  or  exceeds  the  white,  and,  trust- 
ing to  appearances,  should  write  that  there  are  as  many  ne- 
groes in  the  United  States  as  there  are  white  people,  he 
would  make  a  very  natural,  but,  at  the  same  time,  a  very 
(314) 


BURNING    THE    DEAD. 


315 


great  mistake.  So,  in  writing  about  any  country,  one  may 
easily  fall  into  the  very  common  error  of  generalizing  from 
a  few  facts.  It  shall  be  our  aim  to  avoid  this  as  much  as 
possible.  It  may  be  safel}-  stated  that  while  Hinduism  is 
almost  universall}'  found  in  India,  many  of  tb.c  manners  and 
customs  of  the  people  are  local  in  their  character. 

With  the  exception  of  small  children  under  two  or 
three  years  old,  and  of  the  so-called  holy  men  who  are 
buried  at  death,  the  Hindus  burn  the  bodies  of  their  dead. 
Small  children  are  buried,  except  among  those  who  live 
near  the    sacred    river    Ganges,   into    which  the   bodies  are 


FUNER.\L    PYRE. 


thrown  as  soon  as  possible  after  life  is  extinct.  The  funeral 
rites  and  ceremonies  attending  the  burning  of  a  dead  body 
are  very  expensive,  ranging  in  cost  from  ten  to  fifteen  dol- 
lars for  the  ver}'  poorest,  to  many  thousands  for  the  wealthy. 
Much  of  the  money  is  spent  in  feasting  relatives,  paying 
priests,  and  giving  gifts  to  religious  beggars  and  vagabond 
hoi)'    men.     It   is    authoritatively    stated  that  some  of   the 


3l6  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

wealthy  rajahs  of  Bengal,  of  high  princely  famil\-,  have  ex- 
pended as  much  as  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars  at  a  single 
funeral.  In  this  wa\'  man\-  Hindus  incur  drbts  that  hurdcn 
them  as  long  as  they  live,  and  are  left  as  burdens  upon  their 
children;  for  in  India  a  man's  debts,  as  well  as  his  property, 
if  he  has  either,  are  inherited  b)'  his  heirs,  and  they  are 
bound  to  pay  them. 

When  a  Hindu  becomes  dangerousl)'  ill  his  relatives  at 
once  make  arrangements  for  the  disposal  of  his  body.  If 
he  lives  within  ten  or  fifteen  miles  of  the  Ganges,  or  some 
other  sacred  stream,  he  is  immediatel}'  placed  upon  a  litter 
and  carried  by  his  eldest  son  and  nearest  relatives  to  the 
banks  of  the  river,  so  that  he  ma\'  look  upon  its  hoi)-  water 
and  have  its  protection  when  he  dies.  Such  a  proceeding, 
it  would  seem  to  us,  would  have  a  tendenc\-  to  hasten  death, 
but  the  Hindu  tliinks  this   is  the  onl\'  proper  thing  to  do. 

As  soon  as  death  intervenes,  the  bod)'  is  prepared  for 
the  burning.  The  eldest  son,  or  his  nearest  representative, 
carefull)'  shaves  the  body  and  bathes  it  with  water  from  the 
sacred  stream,  and  places  upon  it  bits  of  sandal  wood  and 
flowers.  It  is  then  wrapped  in  a  white  cloth  and  laid  upon 
th.e  litter.  A  small  ball  made  of  rice  flour  is  also  laid  with 
it  as  an  offering  to  the  deit)'  of  the  soil.  At  the  same  time 
the  dead  man's  name  is  called  out  b\'  his  son,  while  others 
of  the  relatives  wall-:  about  the  bier  weeping  and  uttering 
loud  lamentations.  The  litter  is  then  taken  upon  the 
shoulders  of  four  men,  the  eldest  son  being  one  of  the  num- 
ber, and  the  body  is  borne  rapidly  to  the  burning  ground, 
which,  if  possible,  must  lie  near  a  river.  The  next  act  in  the 
drama  is  the  burning  of  the  bod)'.  Among  the  wealthy  the 
funeral  pile  is  made  of  sandal  wood  and  of  the  sacred  tuisi 
shrub  to  which  reference  was  made  in  our  last  chapter. 
Others  use  the  wood   of  the  sacred  pipal  or  bo  tree.     The 


HINDU    FUNERAL.  317 

jTTouml  selected  for  the  pyre  must  be  puritied  by  spriiil<liii![T 
holy  water  upon  it.  Five  balls  of  rice  flour  are  i:)lacecl  upon 
the  b(Hl)'  which  is  made  to  face  the  north,  and  its  orifices 
are  filled  with  ij;hee, — clarified  butter.  The  eldest  son  ap- 
plies the  torch  to  the  wood,  sa\'inf^:  "  Alay  the  guardian 
deity  Pushan  convex'  thee  hence  on  thy  distant  road;  ma)- 
he  deliver  thee  to  the  Fathers!  "  * 

Durin;.^  our  stay  at  the  mission  hemic  at  Bulsar  we  were 
awakened  ver)'  early  one  morninj:,^  b}'  a  chorus  of  voices 
cr}-ing  out,  "  Ram-ram,  Ram-ram."  Brother  Stover  said 
it  was  a  Hindu  funeral,  and  goini;^  out  upon  the  veranda 
we  saw  some  twenty  persons  following  the  bearers  of  the 
dead.  Two  bamboo  poles  tied  together  with  ropes  formed 
the  litter,  and  on  this  the  body,  wrapped  in  white  cloth,  was 
borne.  The  bearers,  as  the}'  hurried  along  cried  out, 
"  Ram-Ram"  with  the  falling  inflection  on  the  last  syllable; 
but  Sir  Edwin  Arnold  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  the 
bearers  cr\'  out  '"Ram-Ram  such  hai! ''  ( /.  c.)  "  Rama  is  the 
true  god!  " — while  those  who  follow,  carr\'ing  the  fire  and 
clarified  butter,  used  in  the  cremation,  answered:  ''  Jo  kalia 
bhas  sucJl  Jiai! "  literally,  "  What  you  sa)-  is  true,  broth- 
ers!     j 

Ilastil}'  getting  read)',  we  followed  after  the  procession, 
but  as  they  went  along  at  a  half  run  they  were  soon  out  of 
sight;  but  we  could  hear  the  bearers  calling  out  the  name  of 
their  god,  repeating  the  words  "  Ram- Ram  "  over  again  and 
again.  It  was  an  exam[)le  of  the  vain  repetition  of  the 
heathen  to  which  our  Savior  referred  when  he  taught  his 
disciples  how  to  pra)'.  The  river  was  a  mile  awa)',  and 
when,  we  reached  the  stream  those  who  had  charge  of  the 
ceremonies  were  preparing  for  the  burning.     The  wood  was 


*"Brahmanism  and  Hinduism."    p  200. 

tSir  E.  Arnold,  "India  Revisited,"  pa^je  15S. 


31'S  GIRDLING   THE    GLOI5E. 

thrown  from  the  ox  cart  on  which  it  had  been  brought  to 
the  place.  Brother  Stover  asked  if  our  being  there  was  ob- 
jectionable, and  was  assured  that  we  were  quite  welcome  to 
stay  and  witness  the  ceremony;  and  we  at  once  became  in- 
terested spectators.  Nearl)'  all  present  took  some  part  in 
carrying  the  wood  and  building  up  the  funeral  pyre.  The 
dry  wood  used  was  cut  into  pieces  about  five  feet  in  length. 
Two  heavy  pieces  were  laid  parallel  on  the  ground,  and 
upon  these  transversely  the  pile  was  built  some  three  feet 
high.  The  bod}-  was  then  dipped  into  the  water  and  care- 
fully laid  upon  the  funeral  pyre,  upon  which  a  little  water 
had  been  sprinkled.  Several  pieces  of  wood  were  laid  upon 
the  bod}',  some  clarified  butter  poured  upon  the  head  and 
breast,  and  five  balls  made  of  rice  were  laid  by  its  side  as 
an  offering.  The  torch  was  now  applied  and  slowly  the 
wood  ignited  and  began  to  burn. 

Up  to  this  time  nothing  in  the  manner  of  the  natives 
present  indicated  any  feeling  of  sadness.  A  short  distance 
from  the  burning  wood  sat  a  little  group  watching  the  pro- 
ceedings with  apparent  interest;  but  surely  not  with  more 
interest  than  was  manifested  by  the  missionary  and  the 
traveler.  While  we  looked  the  fire  blazed  up  and  envel- 
oped the  body,  and  then  from  the  dusk}^  group  sitting  near 
by  broke  forth  a  long,  low  wail  of  pent-up  grief  and  sorrow, 
and  floated  out  upon  the  cool  morning  air,  over  the  bosom 
of  the  placid  stream.  Up  to  this  moment  we  had  been  in- 
terested spectators,  but  the  cry  of  grief  from  the  crushed 
and  sorrow-stricken  hearts  found  and  touched  a  responsive 
chord  of  sympathy.  We  were  no  longer  mere  spectators, 
but  our  deepest  sympathies  went  out  to  these  heart-sore, 
dusky  children  of  India,  and  they  were,  for  the  time,  our 
brethren;  for  had  we  not  also  learned  the  lesson  of  grief  at 
the   tomb  of  loved  ones?     So  we  found,  not  for  the  first 


WIDOWS    BURNED.  3IO 

time,  here  in  far-away  India,  that  a  touch  of  sorrow  makes 
the  whole  world  akin. 

We  left  the  burning'  pile,  the  body  rapidly  turnini^  to 
ashes  and  dust,  and  the  group  of  gentle,  brown-skinned 
mourners  by  the  side  of  the  quiet  river;  but  the  scene,  one 
of  the  acts  in  the  drama  of  real  life,  we  shall  not  easily  for- 
get. It  occurred  two  months  ago,  but  as  we  write  it  all 
comes  back  as  vividly  as  it  appeared  on  that  bright  Decem- 
ber morning  on  the  banks  of  the  river  at  Bulsar. 

After  the  body  and  wood  have  been  consumed, — ^about 
five  hours  is  usually  required, — the  ashes  and  bits  of  broken 
bones  that  have  not  been  calcined  are  all  carefully  gath- 
ered up  and  thrown  into  the  river.  And  so  century  after 
century  have  the  rivers  of  India  borne  the  ashes  of  her  num- 
berless millions  of  dead  down  to  the  sea.  What  a  coming 
forth  there  will  be  here,  when  the  rivers  and  the  sea  shall 
give  up  their  dead! 

Years  ago  it  was  a  custom,  often  observed,  for  a  faith- 
ful Hindu  wife  to  give  proof  of  devotion  to  and  her  love 
for  her  dead  husband  by  allowing  her  living  body  to  be 
burned  with  his  corpse.  But  in  1S29  this  terrible  practice 
of  self-immolation  was  happily  prohibited  by  statute  in  Brit- 
ish India.  Since  then  it  has  been  unknown  save  in  a  few 
isolated  cases.  According  to  the  best  authorities  it  never 
was  compulsory,  unless  the  unhappy  lot  of  the  Hindu  widow 
made  her  choose  this  as  the  least  of  two  evils.  The  teach- 
ing and  faith  of  the  Hindus  was  that  the  widow  who  thus 
sacrificed  herself  with  her  dead  husband  would  cleanse  him 
from  all  sin  and  make  a  saint  of  him,  and  that  she  would 
dwell  in  happy  union  with  him  in  the  other  world  as  many 
hundred  thousand  years  as  there  were  hairs  on  his  body. 
Part  of  this  belief  is  embodied  in  an  old  verse.  The  trans- 
lation is  from  Arnold: 


320  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

'When  the  Hindu  wife,  embracing  tenderly  lier  husband  dead, 
Mounts  the  funeral  pyre  besiile  him,  as  it  were  a  bridal  lied; 
Thou.^h  his  sins  were  twenty  thousand,  twenty  thousand  times  o'er  told 
She  would  bring  his  soul  to  Swarza*  for  that  love  so  strong  and  hold." 

With  a  faith  of  this  kind  firmly  held  b)-  the  widow,  with 
her  heart  broken  b\'  the  los.s  of  her  husband,  with  the  terri- 
ble  life  of  widowhood  before  her — which  means  more  in 
India  than  anywhere  else — it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that 
she  oftentimes  chooses  the  terrible  ordeal  of  being  burned 
alive  rather  than  to  live  the  life  of  seclusion  and  privation 
that  would  inevitably  fall  to  her  lot. 

This  devotion  all  seems  very  strange  to  us,  but  we  have 
asked  ourselves  the  question  many,  many  times,  What  of 
the  future  of  these  poor,  ignorant  people?  In  their  blind 
faith,  without  a  knowledge  of  the  true  God,  or  of  his  Son 
Jesus  Christ  who  died  to  save  them  from  all  sin  and  to  give 
them  eternal  life,  man)-  of  these  Hindu  women  were,  and 
are  still,  v.illing  to  die  a  terrible  death  of  agony  to  save 
their  husbands  and  to  enioy,  as  they  believe,  unnumbered 
happy  years  with  them.  Will  it  not  be  more  tolerable  for 
these  in  the  da\'  of  judgment  than  for  those  men  and  wom- 
en in  our  Christian  land,  who  have  the  Gospel  preached  to 
them  and  bear  the  name  of  Christian,  and  \et  violate  God's 
first  law  of  marriage?  The  divorce  courts  are  kept  bus)-, 
that  Christian  (?)  men  and  women  may  break  the  bond 
that  unites  them,  and,  for  the  gratification  of  sinful  lust, 
marry  again  and  again.  The  poor,  ignorant,  yet  true,  Hin- 
du wife,  heathen  as  she  is,  knows  no  divorce  but  death.  If 
the  Master  were  here,  would  he  not  say  to  those  who  thus 
trample  the  laws  of  God  under  their  feet,  "  But  I  say  unto 
you.  It  shall  be  more  tolerable  for  the  Hindu  nidow  at  the 
day  of  judgment,  than  for  you?  " 


*  Hindu  place  of  rest  and  happiness. 


^■'  M 


in 

W 

w 

H 

K 
O 

O 

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BURNING    GHAT.  323 

From  the  burning  ghats  at  Benares,  a  view  of  which 
may  be  had  on  page  321,  the  smoke  of  cremation  constantly 
rises  from  the  riverside  and  floats  away  over  the  city.  We 
visited  the  place  later  in  our  travels,  but  refer  to  it  here. 
In  the  picture  a  boatload  of  bamboo  poles  and  wood,  to  be 
used  in  burning  the  dead,  is  seen  at  the  shore.  In  the  cen- 
ter, near  the  boat  on  a  rude  stretcher  just  touching  the  wa- 
ter's edge,  lies  a  silent  object,  wrapped  in  a  white  cloth 
The  two  men  near  by  with  backs  toward  us  are  arranging 
for  the  burning.  To  the  right  are  two  burning  funeral  pyres 
from  which  the  smoke  is  ascending,  and  near  by  is  a  man 
who,  with  a  long  pole,  is  throwing  together  the  remains  of 
an  almost  consumed  pile.  At  the  lower  left  hand  corner  is 
a  small  monument  marking  the  spot  where  some  faithful 
Hindu  wife  and  widow  voluntarily  placed  herself  on  the 
pyre  with  her  dead  husband  and  was  burned  to  death.  On 
the  banks  of  the  Ganges,  at  Benares,  there  are  a  number  of 
these  burning  places,  but  this  description  will  suffice  for  all. 

At  Bulsar,  and  at  other  places,  we  went  into  the  homes 
of  the  natives  and  saw  something  of  their  home-life,  and  to 
this  we  now  direct  attention.  The  houses  of  the  poor  in 
villages  or  in  the  native  quarters  of  the  large  cities  ma}'  b2 
described  as  mere  mud  huts.  Usually  several  of  them  are 
built  together,  with  an  open  space  or  yard  in  front.  The 
mud  walls  are  very  thick  and  the  thatched  roof  made  of 
rice  straw  is  several  feet  in  depth.  Bamboo,  which  is  very 
strong  and  tough,  and  grows  abundantly  in  India,  enters 
largely  into  the  construction  of  the  hut.  A  basket-like 
framework  with  heavy  corner  posts  is  first  set  up,  and  this 
is  plastered  over  inside  and  out  with  mud,  until  the  required 
thickness  is  obtained.  The  rafters  and  lathing  for  the  straw 
roof  are  also  of  bamboo  and  are  held  firmly  in  place  by  be- 
ing tied  together  with  rope  made  of  the  fibre  of  the  cocoa- 


324  GIRDLING    THE    Gl  OBE. 

nut  husk.  The  doors  arc  low  and  narrow,  and  one  must 
stoop  to  enter.  The  huts  we  entered  were  without  windows. 
In  central  and  southern  India  the  houses  are  built,  not  as  a 
protection  from  cold,  but  from  heat  and  rain.  In  front  the 
roof  extends  some  five  or  six  feet  and  is  supported  with 
posts.  This  extension  forms  the  veranda.  The  floor  of  the 
hut  is  usually  raised  several  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
ground,  and  is  made  of  earth  tramped  solid. 

Generall}'  the  house  is  divided  into  three  compartments 
—  the  veranda,  which  is  sittingroom  and  parlor,  and  the  in- 
terior sleeping  and  storerooms.  The  natives  spend  much  of 
their  time  in  the  open  air,  and  the  veranda  is  a  favorite 
place  for  sitting.  Here  visitors  are  received  and  enter- 
tained, the  ground  floor  being  provided  with  bamboo  mats. 

The  better  grade  of  houses  are  occasionally  built  of 
brick,  are  one  story  high,  but  usually  have  but  two  or  three 
rooms  in  them.  These  may  also  have  windows.  The  hous- 
es of  the  rich  classes  are  well  and  substantiall)-  built,  usuall)' 
of  brick,  and  are  comfortably  furnished. 

Let  us  go  into  one  of  the  houses  belonging  to  the  poor- 
er classes.  There  is  a  group  of  them  together.  We  enter 
the  Nard,  which  is  shaded  by  a  grove  of  cocoanut  palms. 
From  a  large  tree  at  one  side  a  red  flag  is  flying,  marking 
the  location  of  the  famil\'  idol.  The  owner  meets  us,  and, 
in  answer  to  a  question,  says:  "  Yes,  that  is  our  god,"  point- 
ing to  an  ugh'  caricature  of  the  human  face,  painted  red  and 
reeking  with  oil  and  filth.  We  were  shown  through  the 
house  and  found  not  a  single  piece  of  furniture  in  it.  Bed- 
steads, chairs,  stools,  benches,  tables  or  wardrobes  were  not 
to  be  seen.  On  a  bamboo  pole  hung  several  cotton  quilts 
which  served  as  beds.  A  stone  hand-mill,  similar  to  those 
used  in  Palestine,  and  a  number  of  earthen  vessels  stood  in 
one  corner.     In  several  rude  baskets  were  the  poultry  be- 


H 

P 

X 


VEGETABLE    FOOD.  32/ 

longing  to  the  housekeeper.  As  it  was  evening  the  owner 
informed  us  that  they  were  gathered  in;  otherwise  they 
would  fall  a  prey  to  the  jackals.  The  householder  led  by 
the  hand  his  oldest  son,  a  bright  little  fellow  about  four. 
His  dress  was  that  provided  by  nature.  A  small  silver  coin 
brought  a  smile  to  his  face  as  he  placed  his  hand  to  his 
forehead,  and  said,  "  Salaafn,  Sa/iid." 

Chairs  are  never  used  by  the  poorer  classes.  The  na- 
tives squat  down,  bringing  the  heels  close  up  to  the  hips 
with  the  chin  almost  between  the  knees;  others  sit  down 
flat,  folding  the  lower  limbs  in  front  of  them.  In  this  way 
they  rest.  If  you  gave  them  a  chair  they  would  use  it  in 
one  of  the  two  ways  here  described.  We  have  seen  them 
many  times  sit  in  this  way  on  the  seats  in  the  cars.  We 
confess  we  often  envied  them  the  ability  to  sit  down  and 
rest  quite  independent  of  such  modern  inventions  as  chairs. 

The  food  of  the  people  is  almost  entirely  vegetable. 
At  some  places  the  flesh  of  goats  offered  to  idols  is  eaten, 
as  it  is  not  considered  wrong  to  take  life  for  this  purpose. 
Fish  are  also  eaten  in  some  districts,  but  a  strictly  vegetable 
diet  with  milk  and  its  products  is  the  general  rule.  Among 
the  masses  of  the  laboring  classes,  rice  of  the  poorest  quali- 
ty and  pulse — a  coarse,  nutritious  grain,  similar  to  that  eat- 
en b)'  Daniel  and  the  Hebrew  children  at  Babylon — with  a 
little  milk,  a  kind  of  butter  and  curds,  are  the  staple  articles 
of  food.  When  it  is  remembered  that  many  of  these  people 
work  for  four  cents  a  day,  and  are  often  compelled  to  sup- 
port a  large  family  on  from  two  to  three  dollars  a  month,  it 
will  be  understood  that  the  bill  of  fare  cannot  be  an  elabo- 
rate one. 

Knives  and  forks,  and,  in  many  cases,  even  plates  are 
not  used.  When  the  food  has  been  prepared,  each  member 
of  the  famil)-  is  served  with  a  portion  on  a  piece  of  plantain 


328  GIRnLING    THE    GLOBE. 

ov  banana  leaf,  and  the  fin,^ers  are  found  to  be  much  more 
convenient  than  forks.  It  is  interestintr  to  see  how  skill- 
full}- rice  and  pulse  art^  taken  up  with  the  thumb  and  three 
fingers  and  thrown  into  the  mouth.  Flat  cakes,  called 
"  cliupattics  " — baked  of  flour,  made  of  pulse  or  wheat — are 
also  eaten,  but  the  poorer  people  seldom  enjoy  the  luxury 
of  wheat  flour.  A  brass  or  earthen  vessel  containing  cirink- 
ing  water  is  placed  within  reach  of  those  eating,  and  from 
this  the  water  is  poured  into  the  m;)uth,  the  lips  not  touch- 
ing the  vessel.  At  the  close  of  the  meal  the  hands  are 
washed;  the  housewife  has  but  little  work  to  do  in  the  way 
of  dish-washing  and  clearing  away  what  is  left. 

The  houses  of  the  wealthy  are  often  two  or  three  sto- 
ries high  and  have  an  open  court  in  the  center.  Furniture 
is  not  generally  used.  Bedsteads  are  to  be  found  in  the 
sleeping  rooms,  and  in  a  secluded  upper  room  is  a  strong 
box  containing  the  family  jewelr\'.  The  ground  floor  has  a 
kitchen  which  is  also  used  as  a  dining  room.  There  are  also 
storerooms  for  grain  and  fuel,  and  even  stalls  for  cattle.  In 
one  of  the  lower  rooms  there  is  usually  a  reservoir  or  well 
for  water.  Here  are  also  many  brightly-scoured  brass  wa- 
ter vessels  ready  for  use. 

Another  room  on  the  ground  floor  is  set  apart  for  daily 
worship.  There,  in  a  small  wooden  temple,  or  sacred  recep- 
tacle, are  kept  the  household  gods  or  idols,  usuall}'  five  in 
number;  and  here  each  member  of  every  respectable  Hindu 
family  pays  worship  to  the  idols  at  least  once  every  day. 
In  this  room  is  also  retained  the  sacred  fire  which  is  still 
worshiped  by  a  few  orthodox  Hindus.  Especially  is  this 
true  at  Benares,  where  the  sacred  fire  is  daily  worshiped. 
And  here,  too,  or  in  the  court,  is  ke[it  the  sacred  tulsi 
plant  to  whicli  the  women  of  the  family  offer  adoration. 


DAILY    RELIGIOUS    SERVICES.  329 

The  daily  religious  services  of  an  orthodox  pious  Brah- 
man are  exceedingly  irksome  and  tedious.  We  give  a 
synopsis  of  these  duties  from  Sir  Monier  Williams'  work. 
A  modern  orthodox  Brahman  is  fettered  and  bound  to  his 
idols  and  will  often  devote  four  or  five  hours  a  day  to  their 
worship.  Every  faculty  and  function  of  his  nature  is  bound 
b)-  an  iron  chain  of  traditional  observances.  For  example, 
his  dail}'  duties  now  comprise  (1  )  the  morning  bath,  a  re- 
ligious observance.  (2)  Prayers  and  meditation,  to  be  ob- 
served three  times  a  day.  (3)  Worship  by  formally  repeat- 
ing the  first  word  of  each  of  the  sacred  books.  (4)  The 
threefold  daily  oblation  of  water  to  the  secondary  gods.  (5) 
The  sacrifice  to  fire  by  fuel,  rice,  clarified  butter,  etc.,  etc. 
(6)The  daily  worship  of  his  idols  or  gods  in  the  room  set 
apart  for  that  purpose  in  his  house.  (7)  The  solitary  visit 
to  the  neighboring  temple,  not  necessarily  for  prayer,  but 
simpl)'  for  bowing  before  the  idol,  or  merel)-  for  looking  at 
it  after  its  decoration  by  the  idol  priest. 

There  are,  in  addition  to  these,  other  duties  that  he 
must  not  neglect.  The  service  before  the  midday  meal, 
with  offerings  of  food,  the  daily  homage  of  men  by  offering 
food  to  guests  and  beggars,  the  solemn  fasts,  to  be  observed 
twice  a  month  and  on  special  days,  the  reading  of  passages 
of  the  Puranas  or  sacred  books,  held  to  be  an  act  of  great 
merit,  the  pilgrimage  to  some  sacred  shrine  or  to  the  Gan- 
ges, and  finall)'  the  last  great  sacrifice  when  the  body  ought 
to  be  burned  by  the  same  sacred  fire  which  was  originally 
kindled  by  husband  and  wife  on  their  domestic  hearth. 
This  is  an  outline  of  an  orthodox  Brahman  householder's 
life  in  modern  times.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  Hinduism  does 
not  enjoin  assembling  together  for  congregational  worship.  * 

These  duties  seem  to  us  so  burdensome  that  we  wonder 


♦"Brahmanisra."    pp.  393-394. 


ai 


m:'       < 


MORNING    DEVOTIONS.  331 

again  and  again,  that  such  a  vast  number  of  people  willingly 
submit  to  them.  We  ought  to  rejoice  with  exceeding  glad- 
ness that  the  religion  of  the  New  Testament  enjoins  no  such 
heavy  burdens  upon  the  followers  of  Jesus.  The  observ- 
ances, so  few  in  number,  enjoined  in  the  Gospel,  ought  to  be 
gladly  and  gratefully  accepted  and  carried  out.  But  to 
some  even  the  very  few  given  are  burdensome  and  are  said 
to  be  useless  and  of  none  effect.  Of  some  of  them  it  is  said, 
they  applied  to  the  time  in  which  they  were  given,  but  are 
not  applicable  to  this  age;  of  others,  that  they  were  given  to 
teach  certain  lessons,  but  this  observance  is  not  now  neces- 
sary. How  the  faith  of  such  people  in  the  inspiration  of 
God's  Word  and  their  devotion  to  it  sinks  down  when  com- 
pared with  these  heathen! 

Others  there  are  who  seem  anxious  to  obey  Christ  in 
all  things,  but  who  have  not  even  erected  a  family  altar, 
and  who  fail  to  give  audible  thanks  to  God  for  the  food 
they  eat.  While  we  were  at  Bulsar,  Sister  Stover  sent  one 
of  their  helpers  to  a  shop  to  make  a  purchase.  In  a  short 
time  the  man  returned  without  the  required  article,  stating 
that  the  shopkeeper,  a  Parsi,  was  engaged  in  his  morning  de- 
votions to  the  sun,  and  that  he  would  be  through  in  an  hour, 
when  the  purchase  might  be  made.  We  said,  "  Think  of  a 
shopkeeper  at  home,  if  such  a  thought  is  possible,  closing 
his  place  of  business  each  morning  that  he  might  devote  an 
hour  to  worship!  "  Let  those  Christians  who  do  not  find 
time  for  family  worship  and  prayers,  or  are  too  timid  and 
backward  to  thus  call  upon  the  name  of  their  God,  take  a 
lesson  from  the  heathen.  This  is  put  down  in  all  good  con- 
science, free  from  personality,  with  the  hope  that  it  will  do 
good. 

In  connection  with  the  customs  of  the  people  a  photo- 
gravure is  given,  which  is  exceedingly  interesting,  showing, 


33:^  GIRDLING   THE    GI.OP.E. 

as  it  dors,  the  haiulniill,  with  a  woman  i^riiulin;^  at  it.  This 
mill,  which  has  been  in  use  in  Palestine  ever  since  the  days 
of  Abraham,  is  also  in  use  in  India.  The  lower  millstone  is 
imbedded  in  clay  and  has  four  short  legs  to  raise  it  from  the 
ground.  A  rim  is  raised  around  it  far  enough  away  to  form 
a  receptacle  for  the  meal  which  is  thrown  out  b\'  centrifugal 
force.  The  upper  millstone  is  of  the  pattern  so  often  seen 
in  Palestine.  The  long  wooden  handle  upon  which  the 
woman  has  her  hand  is  used  to  turn  the  upper  stone.  Two 
women  do  the  grinding.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  huts 
in  the  background,  with  their  thatch  of  rice  straw,  are  circu- 
lar in  form,  a  style  of  architecture  often  found  among  the 
lowly  natives  of  India.  Notice  the  hea\y  earrings  worn 
by  the  women.  I  have  seen  them  of  such  weight  that  the 
iobe  of  the  ear  was  drawn  dov/n  and  greatly  extended. 

Clothing  in  India  is  limited  in  suppl\',  and  the  poorer 
classes,  especiallx',  are  never  burdened  with  a  superfluity  of 
wearing  apparel.  The  laborer  who  works  in  the  fields  and 
on  the  streets  often  satisfies  his  ideas  of  propriety  by  wear- 
ing the  merest  strip  of  cloth  wrapped  about  his  loins.  Bare- 
headed, bare-backed  and  bare-limbed,  he  works  for  hours 
under  the  fierce,  burning  ra\-s  of  a  tropical  sun  without  suf- 
fering inconvenience. 

The  better  class  of  people  are  satisfied  with  two  gar- 
ments made  of  white  cotton  cloth.  The  lower  one,  called 
the  dhoti  or  waist  cloth,  is  simply  a  piece  of  white  muslin 
three-quarters  of  a  }'ard  wide,  and  four  \'ards  in  length. 
This  is  wrapped  and  tucked  about  the  body  jusf  above  the 
hips,  one  end  being  caught  up  between  the  lower  limbs  and 
tucked  in  at  the  back.  The  lower  limbs  below  the  knees  are 
left  bare.  When  running  the  garment  is  girded  about  the 
loins  so  as  not  to  impede  progress,  so  that  the  people  here 
literally  gird  up  their  loins  as  was  done  in  Bible  times.     One 


< 


NATIVE    DRESS.  335 

sees  thousands  of  men  in  the  cities,  towns  and  villages,  with 
no  other  garment  save  the  dhoti. 

An  upper  garment,  called  uttariya,  is  also  worn  by 
large  numbers.  It  is  made  of  white  cotton,  and  is  about  the 
same  size  and  shape  as  the  dhoti.  It  is  thrown  over  the 
shoulder  and  worn  lilce  the  Roman  toga,  covering  the  upper 
part  of  the  body  except  one  arm  and  shoulder.  These  two 
garments  constitute  the  clothing  of  the  great  majority  of 
the  men  of  India.  There  is  neither  needlework  nor  buttons 
about  them.  The  good  housewife  never  worries  herself  lest 
when  her  husband  changes  his  garments  there  may  be  a  but- 
ton wanting. 

B}'  some  a  close-fitting  vest  or  short  coat  is  worn, 
called  a  body  protector.  It  is  cut  and  made  to  fit,  and  is 
worn  under  the  upper  garment. 

The  laboring  man's  working  dress,  or  cloth,  costs  him 
but  a  few  pennies.  We  purchased  a  dhoti,  a  uttariya,  and  a 
close-fitting  jacket,  such  as  are  here  described,  for  about 
four  rupees,  a  little  over  one  dollar  of  our  money.  It  will 
be  seen  from  this  that  clothing  in  India  is  very  cheap;  and 
it  is  well  for  the  poor  that  this  is  the  case.  With  the  wages 
received,  they  cannot  pay  more. 

As  to  headdress,  the  greater  number  of  the  people  of 
central  and  southern  India  wear  nothing  on  their  heads.  In 
cold  weather  they  muffle  their  heads  in  the  upper  garment, 
and  some  carry  a  cloth  on  the  arm  for  this  purpose.  The 
wealthy  class  wear  turbans,  some  of  them  of  permanent 
shape,  but,  for  the  most  part,  they  consist  of  a  long  piece  of 
cloth  wrapped  and  folded  about  the  head  in  conformity  to 
the  rule  of  the  caste  to  which  the  wearer  belongs. 

It  may  be  safeh'  said  that  two-thirds  of  the  people  of 
India  never  wear  shoes,  and  stockings  are  practically  un- 
known among  the    natives.     Some  who  have  adopted   the 


^^^6  CilRDLING    Till':    (il.OI'.K. 

English  style  of  dress  wear  both  shoes  and  stockings,  hut 
their  number  is  ver\-  small.  Leather  is  su[)posed  to  be  un- 
clean, and  lu'uce  is  not  in  favor.  "  It  is  common  for  the 
most  dignified  and  refined  gentlemen  to  come  into  one's 
presence  with  naked  feet,  leaving  their  shoes  outside  the 
room." 

Women's  dress  consists  ordinarily  of  a  bodice  and  a 
long  garment  called  a  sari.  The  latter  is  a  piece  of  cloth  of 
various  materials  and  colors,  according  to  the  wealth  and 
taste  of  the  wearer,  about  a  yard  wide  and  from  eight  to  fif- 
teen yards  in  length,  so  wrapped  and  folded  about  the 
body  as  to  cover  it,  except  one  arm  and  shoulder.  The 
fashions  in  India  never  change;  indeed,  such  a  thing  as  fash- 
ion in  dress,  as  it  is  known  in  Europe  and  America,  does  not 
exist  here.  It  may  be  safely  said,  that  for  three  thousand 
years  there  has  been  but  little  change  in  wearing  apparel. 

In  a  preceding  chapter  I  referred  to  the  great  love  for 
jewelry  innate  in  the  women  of  India.  There  are  eight 
principal  kinds  of  ornaments  worn.  Nose-rings,  earrings, 
necklaces,  bracelets,  armlets  worn  about  the  elbows,  finger- 
rings,  anklets  and  toe-rings.  Finger-rings,  earrings  and 
nose-rings  are  also  worn  by  men.  The  jewelry  worn  by  one 
woman  sometimes  weighs  as  much  as  sixteen  pounds. 
Among  the  rich,  gold  and  silver,  with  pearls  and  precious 
stones,  are  worn.  Others  use  ivory,  plated  metal,  and  glass, 
while  the  poor  use  brass  and  even  bracelets  made  of  wood. 
The  ears,  the  nose,  the  fingers  and  toes,  the  arms,  and  the 
lower  limbs,  from  ankle  to  knee,  are  often  literally  covered 
with  jewelry. 

At  Bulsar  I  bought,  for  a  couple  of  rupees,  the  brass 
arm-rings  from  the  woman  who  served  us  as  water  carrier. 
She  had  twenty-two  on  each  arm,  and  from  wrist  to  elbow 
her  arms  were  literally  encased  in  brass.     As  she  was  quite 


HOME-LIFE. 


y^y 


old,  we  had  some  hope  that  she  might  use  the  money  for  a 
better  purpose,  but  in  the  afternoon  she  appeared  with  her 
arms  covered  with  new  brass  rings.  She  was  much  pleased 
with  her  bargain,  for  she  had  secured  new  rings  for  her  old 
ones,  and  had  been  able  to  add  a  few  more  to  the  number. 

What  did  I  want  with  this  heathen  woman's  brass  arm- 
rings,  do  you  ask?  To  show  some  of  our  jewelry-loving 
people  at  home  how  their  Indian  sisters  can  excel  them  in 
display. 

But  little  attention  is  given  to  the  attire  of  small  chil- 
dren. Until  the  offspring  of  the  wealthy  attain  to  their 
third  or  fourth  year,  they  are  entirely  innocent  of  all  cloth- 
ing. A  silver  chain  is  sometimes  fastened  around  the  waist, 
to  which  a  charm  is  attached  to  keep  away  the  evil  spirits; 
bracelets  and  anklets  also  encircle  the  tin\-  limbs  at  a  very 
early  age.  The  children  of  the  poor  go  as  do  those  of  the 
rich,  except  that  if  a  charm  be  worn,  it  is  fastened  to  the 
body  with  a  brass  chain  or  string,  and  that  the  time  w^hen 
propriety  demands  that  the  small  dhoti  be  worn  is  at  the 
age  of  six  or  seven  years. 

The  home-life  of  the  people,  so  far  as  we  are  able  to 
judge  from  our  limited  association  with  them,  seems  to  be 
pleasant  and  happy.  The  children  are  light-hearted,  play 
about  their  homes  and  appear  to  enjoy  life.  In  many 
places  kite-flying  is  a  great  source  of  amusement,  among 
both  bo}s  and  men.  The}'  are  kind-hearted  and  .gentle, 
and,  except  those  who  are  degraded  by  the  idolatry  of  the 
Saktists,  it  is  a  pleasure  to  meet  them.  The  women  are  the 
most  superstitious  and  fanatical  concerning  their  religion, 
and  it  is  hard  to  turn  them  awa}-  from  their  idols.  They 
can  be  reached  only  b\'  women,  hence  the  importance  of 
having  women  in  the  fields  as  missionaries.  Zenana  work, 
/.  c,  work  among  the  native  women,  is  of  the  utmost  impor- 


338  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

tance.  For,  althouirh  she  is  not  considered  her  husband's 
equal,  she  has  a  commanding  influence  in  the  home. 

To  iUustrate  this,  Dr.  Mansell,  at  Agra,  told  us  that  a 
native  once  came  to  him  and  asked  to  be  baptized;  during 
the  interview  the  man's  wife  came  and  upbraided  him  for 
forsaking  their  gods,  and  ended  by  saying  if  he  were  bap- 
tized she  would  go  home  and  jump  into  the  well.  In  this 
way  she  succeeded  in  intimidating  her  husband,  and  he  nev- 
er was  baptized.  "  Would  she  have  carried  out  her  threat  if 
you  had  baptized  the  man?"  we  asked  the  doctor.  "  Yes! 
and  that  too,  in  the  full  belief  that  she  would  go  directly  to 
heaven  because  of  her  self-sacrifice,"  was  the  reply. 

One  lamentable  failure  among  the  people  is  their  disre- 
gard for  the  truth.  We  know  some  people  in  the  United 
States  who  are  afflicted  in  this  way,  but  here  the  failing  is 
quite  general.  They  do  not  seem  to  have  any  conscience  in 
the  matter,  and  the  missionaries  tell  us  that  one  of  the 
greatest  difificulties  they  have  is  to  get  those  who  unite  with 
them  to  understand  that  it  is  wrong  to  tell  an  untruth,  or  to 
take  things  belonging  to  others.  Mr.  Taylor,  the  Quaker 
missionary,  told  us  that  this  was  the  most  trying  thing  he 
had  to  contend  with  among  his  people. 

At  Calcutta  it  was  our  good  fortune  to  find  a  home  with 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  Jewson,  Baptist  missionaries.  Mrs.  J.  has  a 
large  orphanage  and  is  doing  a  good  work  among  the  chil- 
dren. While  with  them  we  had  occasion  to  go  to  an  ofiice 
in  a  distant  part  of  the  city.  A  cab  was  called  and  Mrs. 
Jewson  directed  the  driver  in  Bengali  where  to  go,  and  then 
asked  if  he  knew  the  place.  "  Yes,  yes,  quite  well,"  was  the 
reply.  She  turned  to  us  and  said,  "  He  says  he  knows  the 
place,  but  I  am  quite  sure  he  is  not  telling  the  truth;  you 
will  have  to  inquire  on  the  way."  For  the  moment  we  felt 
that  Mrs.  Jewson  was  a  little  too  severe,  but  it  turned  out 


UNTRUTHFULNESS    AND    DISHONESTY.  339 

just  as  she  said.  The  man  didn't  know  the  place,  and  we 
reached  it  only  after  considerable  trouble.  Our  hostess 
knew  the  native  characteristics  much  better  than  we. 

Mr.  Pool,  who  spent  many  years  in  India,  says,  "Un- 
truthfulness and  dishonesty  are  bad  traits  of  eastern  charac- 
ter. To  tell  a  lie,  seems,  I  am  afraid,  to  man)'  Hindus  and 
Mohammedans,  as  natural  as  to  tell  the  truth.  I  was  fortu- 
nate in  my  servants  in  India;  but  still,  every  now  and  then 
something  would  disappear  from  the  house.  I  would  miss 
mone)'  from  my  pockets,  and  writing  paper  from  my  desk, 
and  various  curiosities  I  had  collected  would  vanish,  and  no 
more  be  seen  or  heard  of."  Once  he  missed  a  valuable  um- 
brella; he  called  his  servants  together  to  assist  in  finding  it, 
but  the  search  was  in  vain.  At  night  he  searched  on  his 
own  account  and  found  the  missing  article  carefully  hidden 
away  behind  a  piece  of  furniture.  He  concluded  to  leave  it 
there  till  morning  and  teach  the  servants  a  lesson.  After 
breakfast  he  called  them  in,  but  the  thief  had  been  too 
sharp  for  him;  the  umbrella  was  no  longer  there.  He  con- 
cludes the  incident  by  saying,  "Words  fail  me  to  describe 
my  chagrin  as  to  the  discovery.  As  for  the  servants,  not  a 
muscle  of  their  countenances  moved,  though  I  could  see 
from  the  sparkle  in  their  eyes  that  they  were  enjoying  my 
discomfiture,     I  had  to  buy  another  umbrella." 

The  untruthfulness  and  dishonesty  among  the  people  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at  when  the  character  of  some  of  the 
gods  they  worship  is  known.  A  nation  never  rises  above  its 
highest  ideals.  The  tendency  is  to  come  far  below  them. 
The  Christian  has  the  life  and  character  and  teaching  of  a 
perfect  Savior  to  follow,  and  how  far  we  fall  below  that  life 
and  character!  The  Hindu  gods,  especially  Shiva  and 
Krishna,  two  of  the  most  popular  deities,  are  credited  with 
lying,    stealing,  adultery   and    many   other   wicked    things. 


340  GIRDLING    THE    GLOHE. 

It  has  been  stated  that  the  people  are  really  better  than 
the  gods  they  worship,  and  after  looking  into  the  facts,  we 
are  prepared  to  say  that  nian\'  of  them  are  far  better  than 
their  religion  or  their  gods. 

We  can  never  be  too  thankful  for  our  pure  and  holy  re- 
ligion. We  are  only  better  than  these  people  because  we 
worship  the  true  God  and  have  his  Son  for  our  Savior. 
And  it  is  onl}'  as  we  assimilate  his  holy  life  and  pure  char- 
acter, and  make  him  manifest  in  our  dail\-  living,  that  we 
show  to  the  world  that  we  are  Christians  in  the  true  sense  of 
the  word.  Obedience  and  conformity  to  his  will  and  law 
there  must  be,  but  this  is  not  enough.  We  must  have  the 
Christ-life  in  us. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


Interest  in  Tndian  People  —  Inguisitii'eness  —  Cheap  Labor  —  Brick- 
*  layers  at  Work  —  Human  Sawmills  —  Marriage  Ceremonies  — 
Child  Marriage  —  A  Double  iVedding  —  Pan  and  Flowers —  The 
Bridegroom' s  Procession  —  Ceremonies  —  Large  Sums  of  Money 
Expe7ided  —  The  LLindu  Child  —  Namcgiving  Ceremony  —  Boring 
the  Ears  —  A  Visit  to  Col.  Anse-l  —  A  Missionary  Cocoanut  Tree  — 
Toddy  —  The  Toddy  Climber. 

One  might  fill  volume  after  volume  with  interesting  ob- 
servations on  the  peculiarities  of  the  people  of  India,  and 
not  exhaust  the  subject.  In  the  compass  of  this  book  space 
is  not  afforded  to  give  a  lengthy  account  of  all  that  was 
seen,  however  interesting  it  might  be.  I  was  intensely  in- 
terested along  these  lines  of  investigation,  and  am  giving 
more  space  to  this  phase  of  Indian  life  than  otherwise 
would  have  been  done. 

Both  in  thought  and  action  the  Oriental  differs  radical- 
ly from  us  Westerners,  and  these  differences  are  not,  on  his 
part,  the  result  of  accident,  but  are  deeply  wrought  into  the 
very  life  and  nature  of  the  people  by  custom  and  tradition 
thirty  centuries  old.  Those  over-sanguine  people  who 
come  to  India  with  a  fixed  determination  to  change  the 
present  status  in  a  few  months  or  years,  will,  if  their  lives  be 
prolonged,  grow  gray  and  depart  in  ripe  old  age,  and  see 
the  Orient  as  it  was  when  they  came.  Verily  the  Oriental 
changes  not  hastily. 

To  us  it  seems  as  if  the  eastern  people  were  doing  ev- 
erything backward.     To  them,  however,  it  no  doubt  seems, 
that  we  are  the  ones  who  do  things  the  wrong  way.     Upon 

(311) 


342  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

entering  a  house,  if  they  wear  shoes  at  all,  they  take  them 
off  and  keep  their  heads  covered.  We  keep  our  shoes  on 
our  feet  and  consider  it  impolite  to  enter  the  house  without 
removing  our  hats.  Why?  Simply  because  custom  says 
we  shall  do  so.  And  is  our  custom  better  than  theirs? 
They  carry  no  dirt  into  your  house  on  their  shoes.  But  the 
differences  are  legion.  "Their  saws  have  the  teeth  set 
towards  the  handle,  and  the  carpenter  pulls  it  towards  him; 
their  screws  turn  the  wrong  way;  their  writing  begins  at  the 
wrong  end;  they  beckon  with  their  fingers  downward;  and, 
strangest  of  all,  if  a  man  wishes  to  spite  his  enemy  he  occa- 
sionally does  so  by  hurting  himself."  This  last  method  is 
so  novel,  and  would  be,  in  our  judgment,  such  a  good  thing 
for  those  who  are  disposed  to  be  quarrelsome  at  home  that 
we  venture  to  recommend  that  it  be  given  a  trial. 

Another  peculiarity  of  the  native  is  his  innate  curios- 
ity. At  home  there  is  a  common  saying  that  a  woman's 
curiosity  is  limited  only  by  her  ability  to  find  things  out. 
Here  the  men  excel  the  women  in  this  trait,  and,  perhaps,  if 
the  truth  were  known,  the  same  statement  would  fit  among 
ourselves.  This  peculiarity  is  apparent  on  every  hand. 
When  at  Bulsar,  Brother  Stover  and  the  writer  frequently 
walked  about  the  town  and  country.  Upon  meeting  an  ac- 
quaintance, after  the  usual  greetings  had  been  exchanged, 
the  following  questions  always  followed:  "Where  are  you 
going?  What  are  you  going  for?"  or  "Where  have  you 
been  and  what  did  you  go  there  for?"  Among  the  house 
servants  who  are  always  men,  the  secrets  of  your  home  are 
known.  What  you  eat,  what  you  do,  how  you  talk  to  your 
wife  and  children — if  you  are  blessed  with  wife  and  children 
— is  the  common  property  of  the  neighborhood.  Pool  says 
"that  the  servants  will  obtain  keys  to  open  drawers  and 
desks   when   the   master's   back    is    turned,    and    will    count 


Curiosity.  343 

money  and  read  any  correspondence  they  find,  if  they  can. 
I  have  known  a  packet  of  love  letters  to  disappear  for  a 
few  da}s,  and  then  be  brought  back  again.  In  all  probabil- 
it}'  the  precious  parcel  was  placed  for  a  while  in  the  hands 
of  some  one  who  could  read  English,  and  who,  for  a  consid- 
eration, would  tell  the  inquisitive  servant  w^hat  the  contents 
were."  At  one  of  the  hotels  we  noticed  an  officer's  servant 
carefully  examining  the  contents  of  his  master's  trunk, 
looking  over  papers,  letters,  etc.  Of  course  the  officer  was 
absent. 

A  native,  writing  of  this  peculiarity,  says:  "I  have  ob- 
served there  is  a  great  difference  between  Hindus  and  Euro- 
peans in  this  respect.  An  Englishman  is  offended  if  you 
ask  him  where  he  is  going,  where  he  has  come  from,  his  ob- 
ject in  coming,  his  profession,  the  amount  of  his  salary  and 
the  like;  whereas  a  Hindu  regards  such  inquiries  as  an  indi- 
cation of  polite  and  kindly  interest  in  him.  He  will  answer 
freely,  though  not  always  truthfully,  all  queries,  and  will,  by 
magnifying  his  salary,  seek  to  give  you  a  high  opinion  of 
his  importance."  May  it  not  be  barely  possible  that  while 
the  Hindu  is  too  inquisitive  we  have  gone  to  the  other  ex- 
treme and  do  not  take  kindly  and  polite  interest  enough  in 
each  other's  affairs? 

The  peculiar  methods  of  doing  work  in  India  are  also  a 
source  of  interest.  Labor  is  cheap  because  the  supply  is 
largely  in  excess  of  the  demand.  We  have  seen  hundreds 
of  men  slowly  and  laboriously  sawing  great  logs  into  boards 
by  hand.  A  long  saw,  a  platform  on  which  the  log  is  laid, 
one  man  above,  another  below  to  pull  and  push  the  saw, 
and  you  have  an  Indian  sawmill.  In  Bombay  we  saw  the 
harness-makers  holding  the  leather  firmly  between  the  soles 
of  their  feet  while  the}'  did  the  stitching  with  their  hands. 


344  oiRnLixo  the  globe. 

The  cirpenter,  in  like  manner,  uses  his  feet  as  a  kind  of  a 
vise  while  he  makes  the  mortise. 

By  the  side  of  our  hotel  a  building  is  in  course  of  con- 
struction. We  have  watched  with  interest  the  people  at 
work.  The  bricklayer  sits  down,  as  described  in  a  previous 
chapter,  at  his  work-,  the  mortar  and  brick  are  carried  to  him 
b}'  women  who  bear  their  burdens  on  top  of  the  head,  one 
of  them  carrying  fourteen  large-sized  bricks  at  one  time. 
Here  are  a  number  of  men  and  women  dicr<Tin"-  a  founda- 
tion.  The  men  have  heavy,  broad  hoes  with  which  they 
loosen  the  earth  and  throw  it  out  of  the  trench.  Others, 
with  similar  hoes,  scrape  it  into  the  conical-shaped  baskets, 
each  holding  about  half  a  bushel.  Then  the  women  carr\'  it 
away  on  their  heads.  When  the  excavation  becomes  too 
deep  for  the  workmen  to  throw  the  earth  out  with  hoes  it  is 
scraped  into  baskets  and  lifted  out  by  being  handed  from 
one  workman  to  another  until  the  top  is  reached.  Shovels 
are  not  used  and  wheelbarrows  arc  unknown.  And  it  was  a 
surprise  to  us  to  sec  how  much  they  accomplished  in  their 
way  of  working. 

And  this  brings  me  to  consider  the  amount  of  wages 
paid  for  labor  in  India.  But  first  a  word  about  their  money. 
The  silver  rupee,  supposed  to  be  w^orth  fifty  cents,  is  the 
unit  of  value.  It  is  divided  into  sixteen  annas,  these  in- 
to four  pice,  and  these  again  into  twelve  pi.  The  cowry 
shell  also  circulates,  as  many  as  fift\'-six  of  them  being  val- 
ued at  one  pice,  or  say  one-fourth  of  one  cent.  The  rupee, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  it  bears  the  government  stamp 
and,  when  at  par,  is  worth  fifty  cents,  is  in  fact  worth  only 
the  market  value  of  the  silver  it  contains.  When  we  landed 
at  Bombay  we  received  on  our  bills  of  exchange  rupee^  at 
the  rate  of  28}4  cents  each.  It  was  like  buying  half  dollar 
pieces  for  28^  cents.     This  depreciation  in  the  unit  of  val- 


WAGES.  345 

ue  bears  heavil\'  on  all  who  work  for  wages.  Wages  remain 
the  same  while  the  purchasing  power  of  the  money  the)'  get 
grows  less.  That  we  may  readily  calculate  the  amount  of 
wages  received  we  place  the  rupee  at  30  cents  and  the  anna 
at  two  cents,  which  is  a  little  more  than  their  real  value. 

At  Cawnpore  Mr.  Bond — a  large  manufacturer  whom 
we  met  at  Jerusalem,  and  at  whose  home  in  India  we  made 
a  very  pleasant  visit — told  m.^  that  he  paid  his  head  carpen- 
ter fifteen  rupees,  and  those  who  worked  under  the  foreman 
ten  rupees  per  month.  In  Illinois,  a  few  years  ago,  we  paid 
as  much  per  clay  to  the  carpenters  who  put  up  a  small 
building  for  us.  For  ordinary  labor  he  paid  from  six  to 
eight  rupees  per  month  while  field  men  received  two  annas 
per  day. 

The  superintendent  of  one  of  the  large  tea  farms  in 
Bengal,  whom  we  met  on  our  way  to  Darjeeling,  gave  me 
the  following  rate  of  wages  paid  to  workmen  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  tea:  Men  six  to  eight  rupees  per  month,  women  four 
to  six  and  children  two  to  three  rupees  per  month.  Of 
course  it  must  be  understood  that  in  all  these  cases  the 
workmen  find  their  own  food  and  keep  themselves. 

On  the  railways  native  engineers  receive  from  twelve  to 
twenty-five  rupees  per  month.  At  home  I  have  heard  of 
engineers  receiving  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  dol- 
lars per  month,  and  then  striking  for  higher  wages.  The 
trackman  gets  six  to  ten  rupees  per  month  and  feels  that  he 
is  doing  remarkably  well. 

How  laborers  can  live  on  such  wages  is  a  m^'ster}',  but 
they  succeed  in  doing  it  and  look  as  if  the\'  were  well  fed, 
and  appear  to  be  happy.  Their  clothing  costs  but  a  trifle. 
They  don't  spend  their  substance  for  whiskey  and  beer. 
They  don't  waste  their  money  in  riotous  living;  and  their 
wants   are  few  and  easily  supplied.     Some  writer  has  said 


346  GIRDLING   THE   GLOBfi. 

that  happiness  consists  in  having  but  few  wants.  If  this  be 
a  correct  test,  then  the  working  people  of  India  must  be 
happy,  for  their  wants  are  very  few  indeed. 

For  the  social  economist  this  cheap  labor  presents  an 
important  problem,  especially  since  it  is  more  than  likely  to 
come  into  active  competition  with  our  labor  at  home,  AI- 
read\-  its  effect  is  being  felt  in  Europe,  and  the  British  Gov- 
ernment has  raised  a  storm  of  indignation  in  India  by  tax- 
ing cotton  cloth  that  is  produced  here,  so  that  the  product 
of  Lancashire  looms  may  be  protected.  It  is  not  our  prov- 
ince to  enter  into  this  question,  but  it  will  be  well  for  our 
workmen  at  home  to  learn  habits  of  economy  and  save  their 
money  against  the  day  when  competition  with  this  cheap 
labor  comes,  for  sooner  or  later  it  will  come. 

As  already  stated,  the  orthodox  Hindu  is  bound  by  tra- 
ditions and  customs  older  than  the  Christian  era,  and  these 
customs  bind  every  operation  of  life  in  India.  The  able 
author  of  "Buddhism,  Brahmanism  and  Hinduism,"  who 
spent  many  years  in  making  a  careful  and  exhaustive  study 
of  social  life  in  India,  tells  us  that  each  man  finds  himself 
cribbed  and  confined  in  all  his  movements,  and  fettered  in 
all  he  does  by  the  most  minute  traditional  regulations.  He 
sleeps  and  wakes,  dresses  and  undresses,  sits  down  and 
stands  up,  goes  out  and  comes  in,  eats  and  drinks,  speaks 
and  is  silent,  acts  and  refrains  from  acting,  according  to  an- 
cient rule.  And  by  this  rule  the  intervention  of  the  priestly 
caste  begins  with  his  first  unconscious  existence  as  a  living 
organism.  From  that  moment  to  death,  and  even  long  aft- 
er death,  every  Hindu  is  held  to  be  the  lawful  property  of 
the  priests,  who  exact  fees  for  many  offices  performed  on 
his  behalf. 

And  here  we  may  impress  a  lesson  that  will,  if  heeded, 
be  helpful  to  us.     Custom  and  tradition  must  alwa)s  give 


CHILD    MARRIAGE.       "  347 

way  to  the  truth;  otherwise  they  bind  upon  the  human  race 
burdens  that  God  never  intended  we  should  bear.  There  is 
always  a  present  danger  of  placing  undue  importance  upon 
any  practice  of  the  church  simply  because  it  has  become  a 
traditional  custom.  The  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  must  be  our 
only  standard,  and  as  we  receive  the  light  and  truth  re- 
vealed in  the  "Perfect  Law  of  Libert)'"  we  shall  be  free 
from  all  customs  based  only  upon  ancient  usage  and  tradi- 
tion. 

One  of  the  chief  concerns  of  the  Hindu  parents  is  to 
have  their  children  suitabl)'  married,  and  this  concern  takes 
precedence  of  all  others.  The  first  thought  is  not  for  the 
child's  health,  "not  for  its  wealth,  not  for  its  physical,  men- 
tal or  moral  well  being,  but  for  its  betrothal  and  marriage." 
When  the  boy  has  reached  the  age  of  five  or  six  years  a 
wife  is  usually  selected  for  him,  and  this  is  sometimes  done 
at  even  an  earlier  age.  Of  course  in  this  important  matter 
the  children  are  never  consulted.  Li  making  the  arrange- 
ments, the  services  of  a  priest  or  professional  matchmaker 
are  required,  and  his  fee  depends  upon  the  wealth  of  the 
parent.  He  looks  about  until  he  finds  a  little  girl  from  two 
to  four  years  old  of  the  same  caste  as  the  boy,  and  reports 
to  the  prospective  bridegroom's  father.  A  meeting  of  the 
parents  of  both  children  is  then  arranged  for,  and  when  all 
is  satisfactorily  completed  the  betrothal  takes  place.  This 
is  the  first  of  the  three  acts  in  the  marriage  drama. 

It  is  but  just  to  say  that  money  is  quite  a  secondary 
consideration  in  Hindu  marriages.  Li  some  cases  it  is  an 
operative  element,  but  this  is  not  the  rule.  Caste  stands 
first  and  physical  conditions  next  on  the  list  of  marriage  re- 
quirements. Neither  does  love  between  the  parties  to  the 
marriage  have  any  consideration.  This  is  supposed  to 
come  after  marriage. 


34B  r.IRDLING   THE    OLOHfi. 

The  second  act  in  the  dranii  takes  place  when  the  chil- 
dren have  reached  the  respective  ages  of  about  seven  and 
ten,  and  is  of  a  religious  character.  Then,  when  the  boy 
has  reached  his  fifteenth  or  sixteenth  year,  and  the  girl  her 
eleventh  or  twelfth,  the  final  wedding  ceremony  is  celebrat- 
ed amid  great  festivities  and  rejoicing,  and  the  children  be- 
come husband  and  wife  and  set  up  housekeeping  in  the 
home  of  the  bridegroom's  father. 

Child  marriage  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  great  social 
evils  in  India  to-day.  In  1891  the  government  passed  a  law 
forbidding  the  actual  marriage  of  girls  under  twelve  years 
of  age,  but  it  is  a  difficult  matter  to  enforce  the  law.  Par- 
ents in  their  great  anxiety  to  have  their  children  married  do 
not  hesitate  to  tell  an  untruth  as  to  their  ages,  and  in  this 
wa}'  the  wise  provision  of  the  law  is  evaded.  The  entire 
question  of  child  marriage  with  attendant  evils  is  one  that 
appeals  strongly  to  the  sympathy  of  those  who  are  ac- 
quainted with  all  the  facts. 

One  among  the  many  sad  features  of  child  marriage  is 
that  if  the  boy  husband  dies  after  his  betrothal,  his  child- 
wife  is  doomed  to  perpetual  widowhood;  so  it  often  occurs 
that  little  girls  three  or  four  years  old  are  widows.  The  lot 
of  this  unfortunate  class  is  a  sad  one  indeed.  She  must 
have  her  hair  cut  close  to  her  head,  and  in  India  it  is  a 
shame  for  a  woman  to  have  her  head  shaven  or  shorn.  She 
is  allowed  to  eat  but  one  meal  a  day  and  becomes  a  mere 
household  drudge.  This  sad  condition  of  widowhood 
doubtless  was  one  of  the  causes  that  led  some  of  them  to 
prefer  death  by  burning  on  the  funeral  pyre  of  the  husband 
rather  than  face  their  lot  in  life. 

On  the  subject  of  child  marriage  we  glean  some  further 
thoughts  from  a  tract  on  the  subject  published  by  the  Chris- 
tian Literature  Society  of  Madras,  India: 


CHILD    MARRIAGE.  349 

In  most  countries  of  the  world,  men  do  not  marry  till 
the}-  are  able  to  support  a  wife;  but  in  India  mere  children 
are  often  thus  united.  The  first  marriage  is  properly  a  be- 
trothal, a  contract  to  marry  at  a  future  time.  Practically, 
however,  it  has  the  force  of  marriage,  for  if  the  boy-husband 
dies  the  infant  wife  is  condemned  to  perpetual  widowhood. 
The  age  at  which  marriage  takes  place  varies  in  different 
parts  of  the  country,  and  among  different  castes.  Certain 
classes  betroth  even  infants.  The  last  census  of  the  small 
native  state  of  Baroda  shows  that  132  males  and  558  females 
were  married  before  the}'  had  completed  their  first  }-ear! 

Two  of  the  causes  which  led  to  the  modern  custom  of 
early  marriage  ma}'  be  noticed: 

1.  During  centuries  of  invasion  and  disorder,  it  was 
desirable  that  every  Hindu  woman  should  have  a  protector 
for  life  as  early  as  possible. 

2.  The  desire  to  have  sons  to  perform  certain  cere- 
monies. A  childless  man  who  has  no  son  to  make  offerings 
for  him  is  said  to  fall  into  the  hell  called////.  Pntra,  a  son, 
is  supposed  to  mean  one  who  saves  from  hell. 

It  is  justl}'  claimed  that  the  large  proportion  of  widows 
in  India  is  parti}-  owing  to  earl}-  marriage.  About  one- 
third  of  all  that  are  born  die  before  they  are  five  }'ears  of 
age.  Others  are  cut  off  in  }-outh.  If  mere  girls  are  mar- 
ried, it  is  plain  that  a  number  of  their  husbands  must  die 
before  the}-  attain  puberty.  The  unhappy  girls  are,  accord- 
ing to  Hindu  usage,  doomed  to  be  widow-s  for  life. 

In  an  earnest  appeal  against  child  marriage  to  the  edu- 
cated Hindus  of  India  a  nati\-e  Christian  writer  sa}s: 

"  Of  course  you  may  look  upon  such  an  occurrence  as 
the  death  of  a  child-wife  in  this  way  as  nothing,  }-ou  before 
whom,  these  wives  must  stand  in  silence,  and  who  must  wor- 
ship you  as  gods.     The  traditions  of  ages  have  blinded  }-ou, 


350  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

SO  that  you  cannot  see  this  matter  in  its  real  nature.  From 
the  ver\'  nature  of  the  relationship  your  forefathers  have  ar- 
rogated to  themselves  towards  women  and  handed  down  to 
you,  it  is  impossible  that  you  could  have  a  real  conception 
of  the  heinousness  of  this  custom.  If  your  women  are  re- 
garded by  you  as  so  inferior  that  you  can  only  look  upon 
yourselves  as  gods  in  comparison  to  them,  if  \ou  look  upon 
them  merely  as  a  means  of  raising  children,  to  celebrate 
certain  ceremonies  over  your  remains  when  you  condescend 
to  die;  or  if  you  look  upon  them  merely  as  cooks  and 
drudges;  if  you  not  merely  look  upon  them  in  these  lights, 
but  if  your  very  nature  is  saturated  with  these  ideas,  and 
you  regard  them  as  founded  on  an  inviolable  religious  foun- 
dation, I  say,  how  could  it  be  possible  that  you  should  se- 
riously regard  any  treatment  \'ou  might  choose  to  mete  out 
to  your  women  as  either  harsh  or  cruel?  You  look  upon 
your  women  as  chattels,  as  '  \our  own  "...  your  '  females  * 
as  you  call  them.  It  never  occurs  to  you  that  they  are, 
equally  with  you,  citizens  of  the  empire,  so  that  no  matter 
what  your  fantastic  notions  of  your  own  importance  may  be, 
the  rulers  of  this  empire  being  bound  to  protect  all  the  citi- 
zens, without  distinction,  from  violence  or  insult  are  bound 
to  come  forward  and  teach  you  what,  through  no  fault  of 
yours,  you  do  not  seem  to  know,  viz.,  that  this  custom  is  a 
brutal  one,  and  that  as  it  interferes  with  the  comfort  and 
safety  and  imperils  th6  lives  of  certain  of  Her  Majesty's 
subjects  in  India,  you  must  relinquish  it." 

We  visited  the  school  of  Mr.  Umbalal  Desai  at  Bulsar, 
where  a  large  number  of  boys — none  apparently  above  six- 
teen years  —  were  studying  English.  Judge  our  surprise 
when  we  were  told  that  the  most  of  them  were  married  and 
some  of  them  were  fathers.  A  prominent  teacher  tells  us 
that  he  has  frequently  examined  the  classes   in  the  Indian 


DOUBLE    WEDDING    AT    BULSAR.  35  I 

high  schools,  in  which  most  of  the  boys  were  fathers.  The 
girls,  of  course,  receive  but  little  education. 

While  we  sojourned  at  the  mission  house  at  Bulsar  we 
attended  two  weddings,  one  in  company  with  our  mission- 
aries and  some  Parsi  friends,  and  the  other  with  Mr.  La 
Personne,  a  warm  personal  friend  of  our  missionaries.  One 
of  these  was  a  double  wedding,  the  father  wisely  choosing 
to  have  one  series  of  ceremonies  for  both  his  boys  at  the 
same  time.  Perhaps  it  would  be  better  to  say  that  we  at- 
tended a  part  of  the  ceremony,  for  the  festivities  continue 
sometimes  for  eight  da}s,  and  large  sums  of  money  are 
spent.  At  those  we  attended,  the  bridegrooms  were  pre- 
paring to  set  out  upon  a  visit  to  the  homes  of  the  brides. 
We  reached  the  place  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
Seats  were  given  us  on  the  veranda,  and  bouquets,  garlands 
of  flowers,  and  the  inevitable  "  pan,"  were  presented  to  us. 
We  were  received  with  much  cordiality  and  made  to  feel 
welcome.  The  father  of  the  boy  said  he  was  very  glad,  in- 
deed, that  we  came  to  the  wedding. 

From  our  seats  on  the  veranda  we  had  a  good  view  of 
the  proceedings.  The  first  thing  that  took  place  was  the 
bathing  of  the  bridegroom.  A  platform  was  placed  on  the 
street  in  front  of  the  house,  vessels  of  water  were  brought, 
and  the  bath  completed,  the  boy  was  enveloped  in  a  white 
robe,  and  carried  into  his  dressing  room.  In  the  meantime 
a  number  of  men  were  making  night  hideous  with  tom- 
toms, drums  and  cracked  horns.  Each  one  seemed  intent 
upon  making  as  much  noise  as  possible,  and  this  passed  for 
music;  the  musicians  were  hired  for  the  occasion.  So  far  as 
noise  was  concerned  they  easily  outdid  the  brass  band  at 
home.  Torches  flashed  on  every  hand,  and  the  house  and 
surroundings  were  beautifully  illuminated. 

Presently  the  bridegroom    appeared,  adorned    for  his 


35-  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

bride.  He  was  placed  (in  a  richly-caparisoned  horse,  glit- 
tering in  gold  and  silver  tinsel.  After  he  was  seated  a  veil 
of  fragrant  flowers  was  thrown  over  his  head  and  he  was 
literally  covered  with  beautiful  white  blossoms,  which  also 
partly  envelojied  the  horse.  The  procession  now  started, 
but  it  moved  very  slowly.  In  fact,  after  moving  a  fevv^  feet, 
it  stopped  and  a  collection  was  taken  up  for  the  bride.  All 
were  invited  to  give,  and  all  did  give.  Then,  amid  the 
flashing  torches  and  the  loud,  discordant  music,  the  proces- 
sion moved  away  and  we  retired.  It  reminded  us  somewhat 
of  going  out  to  meet  the  bridegroom,  to  which  our  Savior 
refers  in  the  parable  of  the  wise  and  foolish  virgins.  In 
the  procession  we  noticed  many  girls  bearing  lamps  and 
torches. 

Among  the  wealthy  the  marriage  ceremonies  are  kept 
up  for  a  number  of  da)'s  and  the  houses  of  both  bridegroom 
and  bride  are  decorated  with  flowers  and  paint,  and  at  night 
are  brilliantly  illuminated  with  lamps  and  Chinese  lanterns. 
The  savings  of  a  lifetime  are  often  spent  in  wedding  festivi- 
ties. Custom,  as  some  one  saN's,  compels  the  well-to-do 
parent  to  squander  large  sums  of  money  on  mere  idlers  and 
pleasure-seekers,  instead  of  giving  it  to  aid  the  newly-mar- 
ried pair  in  starting  in  life  for  them-selves.  If  he  were  to 
practice  economy  in  a  wedding  he  would  never  be  able  to 
hold  up  his  head  among  his  neighbors.  The  more  lavishly 
he  spends  money  the  more  pride  and  satisfaction  he  has  in 
looking  back  upon  what  he  regards  as  the  most  meritorious 
act  in  his  life. 

We  should  not,  however,  judge  the  Hindu  too  severely. 
Our  home  papers  bring  us  the  account  of  a  princely  wed- 
ding in  New  York.  Two  hundred  thousand  dollars  is  the 
amount  said  to  have  been  expended  in  decorations  and  lav- 
ish display.     We  are   also   forced  to  say  that  even  among 


Tamil    Woman. 


NAME-GIVING.  355 

our  own  professedly  plain  people  weddings  are  sometimes 
made  the  occassion  of  spending  money  uselessly. 

The  final  religious  ceremony  of  an  orthodox  Hindu 
wedding  takes  place  after  the  festivities.  A  priest  fastens 
one  end  of  a  piece  of  consecrated  cloth  to  the  dress  of  the 
bride  and  the  other  end  to  that  of  the  bridegroom.  Their 
hands  are  joined  under  this  cloth  and  sometimes  their  faces 
are  marked  with  red  paint.  A  sacred  cord  is  wound  about 
the  necks  of  the  pair  by  a  priest  who  mutters  a  Vedic  pray- 
er. The  placing  of  the  bridegroom's  hands  in  milk,  the 
sprinkling  of  rice  and  cocoanut  milk,  eating  together  and 
sitting  for  some  time  face  to  face  follow.  Then  the  bride 
and  bridegroom  go  to  one  of  the  temples  and  worship  the 
idol,  after  which  the  bride  goes  to  the  house  of  her  father- 
in-law  and  takes  up  her  abode.  The  sacred  fire  which  is 
kindled  during  the  wedding  festivities  is  taken  to  the  home 
and  is  supposed  to  be  kept  burning  continually. 

From  birth  until  it  is  betrothed  and  married,  a  child 
is  subjected  to  many  religious  ceremonies.  We  have  space 
for  only  a  very  few  of  these.  When  the  child  is  only  six 
days  old  it  is  believed  that  one  of  the  gods  writes  its  future 
destiny  upon  its  forehead,  and  from  the  fate  thus  recorded, 
invisible  to  human  eyes  though  it  be,  there  is  no  escape. 
So,  when  the  Hindu  widow  bewails  her  sad  lot,  her  language 
is  said  to  be,  "  Oh  Parvati,  why  didst  thou  write  all  this  suf- 
fering upon  ni)'  forehead!  " 

At  ten  days  the  name-giving  ceremony  takes  place.  It 
is  then  for  the  first  time  fed  solid  food  in  the  shape  of  a 
little  boiled  rice.  Boys  are  often  named  after  the  favorite 
gods,  and  the  names  of  Shiva,  Rama,  Krishna,  Gopala  and 
Ganesa  are  quite  common.  Of  course  the  name-giving  is  a 
religious  ceremony,  and  has  its  counterpart  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  and  many  of  the    Protestant  churches  in  the  rite 


356  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

known  as  christening  or  infant  baptism.  A  name  is  given 
to  the  child  and  a  few  ch-ops  of  water  are  sprinkled  upon 
the  forehead. 

The  next  ordeal  to  which  the  Hindu  child  is  subjected 
is  that  of  ear-boring,  and  this  is  also  regarded  as  a  religious 
rite.  Both  boys  and  girls  have  their  ears  bored,  and  the 
girls,  and  sometimes  the  boys,  have  the  same  operation  per- 
formed on  the  nose.  The  rule  is  to  make  two  or  three  holes 
in  each  ear  and  one  in  the  nose,  but  we  have  seen  many 
girls  with  no  less  than  six  holes  in  the  outer  rim  of  each  ear, 
each  large  enough  to  insert  a  goose  quill.  Among  the 
Tamil  girls  in  southern  India  it  is  the  custom  to  cut  a  large 
opening  into  the  lower  lobe  of  the  ear.  Heavy  rings  are 
worn,  and  the  weight  of  these  draws  the  lobe  down  until  it 
almost  touches  the  shoulder  We  saw  many  Tamil  girls 
and  women  in  Ceylon  with  openings  in  the  ears  so  large 
that  two  fingers  could  easily  be  inserted  at  the  same  time. 
A  glance  at  the  picture  of  the  Tamil  woman  on  page  353 
will  show  how  the  weight  of  the  heavy  metal  rings  worn 
has  drawn  the  ear  down  and  disfigured  it.  The  only  rea- 
son assigned  for  this  custom  is  that  it  is  the  fashion  and  it 
is  presumable  that  the  Tamil  woman  would  as  soon  be  out 
of  the  world  as  to  be  out  of  fashion. 

The  original  scope  of  this  work  did  not  include  a  con- 
tinuous record  of  our  long  journey  around  the  world.  To 
give  such  a  record  in  detail  would  very  far  exceed  the  limits 
of  our  space.  Not  what  to  write,  but  what  not  to  write,  is 
the  puzzling  question  amid  the  mass  of  rich  material  con- 
stantly coming  under  our  observation  as  we  journey  through 
the  wonderland  of  the  Orient.  We  must  be  content  to 
glean,  and  so  pass  over  many  things  of  much  interest. 

During  our  stay  at  Bulsar,  in  company  with  Brother 
Stover,  we  visited  Col.  Ansell  at  his  cocoanut  plantation  on 


'J 

y. 


7. 

1- 


COCOANUT    PLANTATION.  359 

the  seashore,  not  many  miles  away.  The  colonel  played  a 
prominent  part  on  the  losing  side  in  the  War  of  the  Rebel- 
lion. He  was  taken  prisoner,  but  escaped,  leaving  the 
country  and  coming  to  India  where  he  has  since  resided. 
Here  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  the  cocoa- 
nut  palm  and  is  now  the  owner  of  a  large  plantation.  In 
order  to  reach  his  place  we  were  driven  across  the  country 
in  a  bullock  cart, — a  two-wheeled  vehicle  without  springs, 
drawn  by  a  pair  of  oxen.  The  box,  fitted  on  the  cart,  is 
provided  with  bows  over  which  is  spread  a  white  canvas 
cover  to  shelter  the  occupants  from  the  rays  of  the  sun. 
Rice  straw  is  placed  in  the  box  and  a  quilt  is  spread  over  it, 
and  upon  this  you  are  supposed  to  sit.  This  is  all  well 
enough  for  the  natives  who  sit  upon  their  feet,  but  for  us 
the  only  thing  was  to  lie  down  and  take  the  jolting  as  it 
came.  The  driver  sat  on  the  tongue  and  kept  the  bullocks 
going  at  a  dog  trot.  When  a  piece  of  rough  road  was 
passed  over,  the  shaking  can  be  better  imagined  than  de- 
scribed. 

Col.  Ansell  received  us  with  genuine  Southern  hospital- 
ity and  seemed  greatly  to  enjoy  talking  of  old  times  and  of 
the  homeland  from  which  he  has  been  a  self-exile  for  nearly 
a  third  of  a  century.  And  we  also  enjoyed  our  stay  very 
much,  indeed,  in  his  typical  Indian  home.  A  few  years  ago 
his  wife  died,  of  whom  he  spoke  with  much  tenderness  of 
feeling  and  not  without  tears,  and  since  then  he  lives  alone 
with  his  Hindu  servants,  the  only  white  person  on  the  plan- 
tation. 

We  rambled  over  the  place  in  the  cool  of  the  day,  the 
feathery  crests  of  the  palms  affording  a  delightful  shade 
and  protection  from  the  rays  of  the  tropical  sun.  The  colo- 
nel's Indian  servant  climbed  nimbly  up  to  the  crown  of  the 
trees  and  brought  down  nuts  full  of  sweet,  fresh  milk  and 


360  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

rich  meat.  We  regaled  ourselves  with  a  draui^ht  of  nature's 
refreshing  beverage  and  ate  of  the  fruit  of  tlie  nut,  ruid 
found  both  much  better  here  where  they  are  grown  than  the 
imported  ones  we  get  at  home.  Col.  Ansell  takes  a  special 
interest  in  our  missionaries,  and  having  read  in  the  Mcsse}i- 
gcr  \.\\c  proposition,  made  a  year  and  a  half  ago  by  Bro.  A. 
M.  T.  Miller,  set  apart  a  cocoanut  tree  for  the  missionary 
orchard.  From  the  tree  we  have  two  cocoanuts  in  their  or- 
iginal husks.  If  we  reach  home  in  safety,  one  will  hang  in 
the  Secretary's  ofifice  and  the  other  in  our  own  home. 

The  cocoanut  palm  is  grown  in  India  for  the  nuts  and 
for  the  sap  or  milk  that  is  drawn  from  it.  This  forms  the 
v/ell-known  toddy,  which  is  drunk  all  over  India.  It  is 
sweet,  refreshing  and  wholesome  when  first  drawn,  but  it 
soon  ferments  and  then  becomes  quite  intoxicating.  The 
tree  begins  bearing  at  ten  years  and  as  it  increases  in  age 
and  size  produces  a  larger  quantity  of  nuts,  some  of  the 
best  producing  trees  bearing  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  each 
}'ear.  These  develop  and  ripen  in  one  year,  and  are  sold  at 
about  $2.00  per  100. 

Trees  that  are  tapped  for  toddy  do  not  bear  fruit,  as 
the  sap  is  necessar}'  to  develop  the  nuts.  The  tap  is  made 
at  the  crown  where  the  fronds,  or  limbs,  as  we  should  call 
them,  are  thrown  out.  Earthen  vessels  are  hung  to  the 
tree,  into  which  the  milk  falls  and  is  gathered  each  day  by 
men  who  are  called  "toddy  climbers."  These  men  climb  up 
the  trunk  of  the  tree  to  a  height  of  from  forty  to  sixty  feet, 
empty  the  sap  from  the  smaller  to  a  larger  vessel  fastened 
to  the  back  and  descend  with  great  ease  and  dexterity.  A 
full-grown  tree  produces  twenty  gallons  of  milk  each  year, 
and  this  is  drawn  in  alternate  weeks  during  three  months  of 
the  year.  For  nine  months  the  tree  is  allowed  to  rest  and 
recuperate. 


The    Toddy    Climp.ers. 


'  »^1 


TODDY    CLIMBER.  363 

Toddy  is  the  one  intoxicating  drink  of  the  natives  of 
India,  and  the  government  licenses  the  sale  of  the  liquor. 
Each  tree  tapped  is  numbered  by  the  inspector  and  the 
owner  must  pay  a  tax  of  from  forty-five  to  ninety  cents,  de- 
pending on  the  size  of  the  tree.  The  owner  gets  about  fifty 
cents  per  year  for  the  milk  of  each  tree  in  excess  of  the  tax. 
Some  idea  of  the  amount  of  toddy  consumed  in  India  may 
be  formed  when  it  is  stated  that  the  men  who  control  the 
sale  of  the  intoxicant  in  Bulsar,  a  cit)'  of  fifteen  thousand 
souls,  pay  an  annual  license  of  three  thousand  dollars.  For 
these  figures  we  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Niswongee,  General  In- 
spector of  the  Bulsar  district. 

There  are  fifteen  toddy-shops  in  Bulsar.  These  are 
open  sheds  under  which  the  dealer  sits  with  a  large  tub, — 
the  one  we  saw  was  shaped  like  the  half  of  a  kerosene  oil 
barrel, — filled  with  the  liquor  before  him.  In  his  hand  he 
has  a  long-handled  dipper.  In  the  evening  his  customers 
crowd  around  him  and  he  is  kept  busy  dipping  and  filling 
the  vessels  of  the  thirsty  natives.  Sometimes  a  dozen  ves- 
sels are  held  up  at  the  same  time  to  be  filled.  The  dealer 
serves  each  in  order  from  the  small  chattie  that  holds  half  a 
pint  to  the  larger  one  with  capacity  for  a  gallon.  After  be- 
ing served  the  natives  squat  in  groups  on  the  open  space 
about  the  shop  and  drink  and  gossip.  Men  and  women 
alike  indulge.  Near  by  is  the  pan  seller  and  the  rule  is  that 
after  drinking  a  "chew"  must  be  taken.  Here,  as  at  home, 
drinking,  chewing  and  smoking  seem  to  have  a  kind  of  af- 
finity with  each  other.  At  least  the  first,  as  a  rule,  is  asso- 
ciated with  the  second  and  third. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Leaving  Our  Buhar  Home  —  Northward  to  Jeypo7-e  —  Slaughter  of 
Innocents  —  Ma7i  -Eating  Tigers  —  The  Sacred  Crocodi/es  —  The 
Idols  in  Jeypore  —  State  Elephants  —  Agra  —  The  Beautiful  Taj 
Mahal — "An  Elegy  in  Marble''  —  The  Gateway —  The  Gardeii 

—  The  Marble   Screen  —  Snake    Char/ners  —  Indian  Jugglers  — 
The  Conjurer  Khali  Khan —  ll'onderful  Eeats —  The  Mango   Tree 

—  Hoiu  the  Trick  is  Performed —  Claims  to  Supernatu7-al  Power 
Dispro7'ed. 

From  Bulsar  and  our  mission  home, — henceforth  to  be 
a  green  spot  in  our  memories,  an  oasis  in  the  desert  of  trav- 
el,— we  journe)-ed  northward  and  eastward,  visiting  a  num- 
ber of  the  most  important  cities  in  India.  W'e  left  our 
India  home  with  real  and  deep  regret.  How  we  missed  the 
sweet,  homelike  atmosphere  of  Christian  love  that  pervaded 
the  place  where  we  had  so  much  enjoyed  the  Christian  as- 
sociation of  those  we  love.  Then  there  was  the  social  wor- 
ship, the  singing  of  Gujerati  h\'mns,  the  public  meetings 
and  the  quiet,  peaceful,  restful  days — how  we  did  enjoy 
them  all!  All  too  soon  for  us  those  bright  days  of  glad  sun- 
shine passed  awa\',  and  before  we  fully  realized  it  the  time 
for  our  departure  was  at  hand.  Those  whom  we  had  met 
but  a  short  time  before  as  strangers,  we  now  bade  farewell 
as  warm-hearted  friends,  some  of  them  even  going  with  us 
to  the  station  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Our  mission- 
aries, as  in  apostolic  da}'s,  accompanied  us  on  our  journey 
as  far  as  Calcutta.  We  said  good-by  to  Bulsar,  strong  in 
the  hope  that  in  the  )'ears  to  come  it  will  be  one   of  the 

strongholds  of  primitive  Christianity  in  India, 
(364) 


MAN-EATING   TIGERS.  365 

Journeying  northward  the  air  grows  colder  and  more 
bracing,  and  in  the  evening  and  morning  warm  wraps  added 
to  our  comfort.  The  country  becomes  less  densely  wooded, 
and  the  jungles  less  numerous,  but  still  frequent  enough  to 
serve  as  hiding  places  for  tigers  and  leopards.  The  man- 
eating  tiger  is  a  terror  to  the  natives,  who  arc  ill  prepared  to 
contend  Viith  their  powerful  foe.  At  Jeypore  eight  of  these 
animals  are  imprisoned  as  state  captives.  It  is  said  that 
each  of  them  has  tasted  human  blood.  They  crouch  at  the 
bars  of  their  cages  and  glare  upon  those  who  pass  by.  One 
of  them  has  devoured  seven,  another  ten  human  beings.  In 
any  other  countr\'  these  animals  would  have  been  shot. 
Here  pitfalls  were  made  for  them,  and  after  much  patient 
waiting  they  were  ensnared.  They  were  allowed  to  remain 
in  the  i)it  until  hunger  had  reduced  them  to  the  last  extrem- 
ity of  weakness,  when  their  captors  managed  to  draw  them 
forth  and  shut  them  up  as  lifelong  prisoners.*  From  such 
prisons  zoological  gardens  and  menageries  in  other  parts  of 
the  world  are  supplied  with  the  royal  denizens  of  India's 
jungles. 

We  pass  through,  with  brief  stop,  the  Mohammedan 
city  of  Ahmedabad,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  in- 
habitants. It  was  founded  A.  D.  141 1  b\-  the  Sultan  Ah- 
med I.,  whose  name  in  part  it  bears.  Here  are  a  number  of 
old  Mohammedan  mosques,  noted  for  their  architectural 
beauty  and  for  the  marvelous  delicac}-  of  the  carvings  in 
stone.  They  are  the  boast  of  the  city,  and  are  alwa}-s 
shown  to  visitors.  We  hurried  on,  however,  without  visit- 
ing the  mosques,  having  in  mind  a  visit  to  the  architectural 
pearl  of  all  India,  the  Taj  JMahal  at  Agra. 

.From  Ahmedabad,  continuing  our  journe\'  northward, 
we    traverse  the  large   district   of   Rajpunata,   containing  a 

*  Arnold, 


366  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

population  of  about  ten  million.  Here  the  sin  of  female  in- 
fanticide was  once  so  common  that  more  than  half  the  little 
girls  born  were  put  to  death  by  their  parents.  In  1871  the 
census  showed,  in  the  Rajput  population  of  Oudh,  250,849 
males  living  above  ten  years  of  age,  to  only  184,623  females. 
It  is  claimed  that  the  destruction  of  the  innocents  has 
ceased,  but  these  figures  show  how  countless  were  the  mur- 
ders of  their  offspring  by  these  heathen  idolaters. 

At  Jeypore,  the  capital  of  Rajputana,  a  city  with  a  popu- 
lation bordering  on  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand,  we  spent 
a  short  time  in  visiting  places  of  interest.  It  is  the  seat  of 
the  rajah,  or  king,  who,  as  a  vassal  of  England,  still  enjoys 
the  empty  title  of  ruler,  with  all  the  pomp  and  circumstance 
of  royalty  so  dear  to  the  oriental  heart.  We  visited  the 
palace  and  the  gardens,  and  saw  something  of  the  eastern 
notion  of  splendor.  The  large  audience  room  is  richi}' 
furnished  and  decorated  in  the  highest  style  of  Indian  art. 
Marble  floors,  magnificent  chandeliers  and  costly  furniture 
give  the  room  a  fine  appearance.  Strange  to  say,  pigeons 
are  allowed  to  roost  on  the  chandeliers  befouling  the  marble 
floor  beneath. 

In  a  small  lake  within  the  palace  garden  are  kept  a 
score  of  sacred  crocodiles.  Entering  a  low  doorway  we 
found  ourselves  on  a  small  platform  overlooking  the  lake. 
On  the  gravelly  bank  a  dozen  or  more  of  the  huge  saurians 
lay  basking  and  sleeping  in  the  hot  sun.  The  attendant  had 
a  piece  of  raw  meat  tied  to  the  end  of  a  rope.  This  he 
splashed  in  the  water  and  called  out  in  a  loud  voice,  "  Hai, 
Hai."  Presently  two  or  three  of  the  monsters  moved  lazily 
into  the  water  and  swam  to  the  platform  where  we  stood. 
There  they  lay  with  extended  jaws  viciously  snapping  at 
the  meat.  Between  those  jaws  a  man's  head  would  have 
been  crushed  as  an  eggshell.     The  crocodile  is  sacred  to  the 


IDOLS    AT   JEYPOKE.  367 

Hindu,  and  the  bodies  of  thousands  of  children  have  been 
thrown  to  them  in  the  Ganges.  Looking  into  the  open  jaws 
of  the  reptiles  I  marveled  at  the  faith  of  the  mother  who 
could  tear  from  her  bosom  her  darling  child  and  throw  it 
into  those  cruel  jaws  to  be  crushed  to  death.  This  she  did 
for  her  religion.  Ignorance  and  superstition  are  the  devil's 
strongest  powers  over  the  human  race.  I  am  always  afraid 
of  ignorance. 

In  no  other  town  or  city  visited  in  India,  up  to  this 
time,  have  we  seen  so  many  idols  as  in  Jeypore.  The  city 
is  wholly  given  to  idolatry.  Temples  there  are  by  the  score 
where  the  idols  are  worshiped  with  great  ceremony  by  at- 
tendant priests;  and  no  one  is  allowed  to  enter  the  sacred 
portals.  Even  if  you  would  walk  in  the  outer  court,  close 
enough  to  see  the  stone  god,  you  must  take  off  your  shoes. 
But  these  larger  temples  do  not  satisfy  the  demand  of  the 
people  for  idols.  In  the  squares,  on  street  corners,  inside 
and  outside  the  city  gates,  and  even  in  the  middle  of  some 
of  the  wider  streets  are  shrines,  in  each  of  which  sits  en- 
throned a  wooden,  a  clay,  a  stone,  or  a  brass  god.  The  fea- 
tures of  these  are  all  hideous,  and  when,  in  addition  to  their 
distorted  faces,  they  are  daubed  over  with  red  paint  and 
smeared  with  dirty  oil,  they  are  the  very  personification  of 
ugliness.  How  people  can  be  induced  to  worship  such  ob- 
jects seems  strange  indeed,  but  one  need  spend  but  a  short 
time  in  India  to  learn  how  thoroughly  idolatry  degrades  a 
people. 

But  the  idols  do  not  always  escape  harm.  Dr.  Mansell, 
who  has  been  a  missionary  in  India  for  some  thirty  years, 
told  us  that  not  infrequently  the  people  break  their  gods  to 
pieces.  In  one  of  the  villages  visited  by  him  the  people 
during  a  severe  drought  made  a  large  number  of  images  of 
one  of  their  gods  and  prayed  to  them  continually  for  rain. 


368  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

but  it  came  not.  Then  they  took  all  the  images  out  of  the 
temples  and  pounded  them  to  pieces  and  selected  another 
god  and  set  up  new  idols.  As  they  have  countless  thou- 
sands to  select  from,  it  is  not  a  difficult  matter  to  make  a 
change. 

The  rajah  of  Jeypore  claims  to  be  descended  from  an 
unbroken  line  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine  kings.  The 
best  blue  blood  of  which  English  noblemen  are  so  proud  is 
but  a  thing  of  to-day  when  compared  with  these  proud  rul- 
ers of  Rajput.  In  the  museum  their  portraits  adorn  the  gal- 
leries something  as  the  portraits  of  the  popes  do  at  St. 
Paul's  in  Rome. 

The  elephant  stables  at  Jeypore,  it  is  said,  contain  one 
hundred  of  these  huge  animals.  They  are  used  on  great 
state  occasions  when  the  entire  number,  richh'  caparisoned, 
form  an  important  part  of  the  pageant.  The  present  ruler, 
who  is  also  a  famous  hunter,  uses  some  of  them  in  tiger 
hunting.  We  saw  one  of  the  largest  of  the  state  elephants; 
evidently  he  had  been  but  recently  captured,  for  he  was  se- 
curely bound  with  lieav)'  log  chains  attached  to  each  of  his 
four  legs.  The  restless  motion  of  the  animal,  wiih  the  vi- 
cious, wicked  look  from  his  small  e}-es,  gave  us  to  under- 
stand as  plainly  as  spoken  words  what  the  result  would  be 
if  he  were  freed  from  his  chains. 

One  of  the  pleasant  sights  in  Jeypore  is  the  feeding  of 
the  pigeons.  In  the  great  open  square  the  birds  are  fed 
every  day,  and  they  come  to  the  feast  by  thousands.  They 
are  nearly  all  the  same  color,  dark  blue,  and  at  the  feeding 
time  the  square  is  a  mass  of  this  color.  No  one  thinks  of 
hurting  them,  and  they  are  very  tame.  The  cruel  sport  of 
pigeon  shooting,  so  common  at  home,  is  unknown  here. 
The  very  mention  of  such  a  cruelt)'  outrages  the  feelings  of 
the  Hindu, 


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EMPEROR    AKBAR.  37I 

Our  next  stopping  place  was  at  Agra,  in  some  respects 
one  of  the  most  interesting  cities  in  India.  It  was  for  }'ears 
the  capital  of  the  great  Mogul  Emperors,  and  here  Akbar 
the  Great  and  Tekan  Shah  built,  in  marble,  mosques,  tombs 
and  temples,  that  are  to-day  among  the  architectural  won- 
ders of  the  world.  Akbar,  who  reigned  at  the  close  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  was  an  absolute  monarch,  great  in 
achievement,  but  as  cruel  a  tyrant  as  ever  reigned  in  India. 
He  carried  with  him  a  box  containing  sweetmeats,  one  side 
of  which  was  filled  with  caramels  made  of  honey  and  al- 
monds, the  other  with  sweet-scented  lozenges,  into  which 
had  been  distilled  a  most  deadly  poison.  "If  Akbar  gave 
you  a  bit  of  cand}'  from  the  kind  side  of  his  box  you  were 
in  high  favor  in  court,  and  likely  to  command  a  province. 
If  he  smilingly  offered  you  one  from  the  other,  you  could 
not  refuse,  for  none  dared  say 'No!'  to  Akbar,  and  your 
mouth  for  awhile  became  full  of  the  fragrance  of  nard  and 
myrrh,  while  you  rode  hurriedly  home  in  your  litter,  and 
there  died  before  your  golden  palace  robes  could  be  well 
taken  off.  They  sa}'  Akbar  himself  perished  by  making  a 
mistake  one  evening  when  he  wished  for  a  sweetmeat."* 

When  dead  Akbar  was  laid  in  a  marble  tomb,  built 
during  his  lifetime,  the  like  of  which  the  world  had  not 
seen  before,  and  which  after  a  lapse  of  more  than  three 
centuries  is  one  of  the  wonders  of  India!  But  Akbar's 
tomb,  beautiful  as  it  was  and  is,  was  to  be  far  exceeded  b\' 
one  of  his  successors  who  built  the  Taj.  We  turn  to  our 
notebook  and  find  what  we  compiled  and  wrote  at  Agra. 

Jan.  18.  This  afternoon  we  visited  the  Taj  Mahal,  the 
architectural  crown  of  the  world.  The  wonderful  beauty 
and    magnificent    proportions    of   this    marvelous    structure 


♦"India  Revisited.' 


''7->  CIKDI-INC;    TllK    GLOBE. 


seem  now,   since   I   have  seen    it,  like   some  vision   of  a  half 
waking,  half  sleeping  revery. 

This  "  Crown  of  the  World  "  was  Ijuilt  by  the  Snltan 
Shah  Jehan  1630-52,  as  a  receptacle  for  the  body  of  his 
queen,  Arjaniund  Banoo  Begum,  called  the  "  Pride  of  the 
Palace,"  and  his  own  body  was  afterwards  laid  to  rest  in  it. 
It  has  been  called  "  an  elegy  in  marble,"  in  which  the  royal 
love  of  the  great  shah  has  translated  itself  into  alabaster. 
It  was  built  at  a  cost  of  ten  million  dollars,  which  would 
mean  many  times  more  in  Europe  or  America  if  the  differ- 
ence in  wages  were  added.  Twenty  thousand  men  worked 
twenty-two  years  before  the  mausoleum  was  finished,  and, 
sad  to  state,  many  of  the  workmen  were  never  paid.  In 
Shah  Jehan's  memoirs  it  is  stated  that  the  masons  alone  re- 
ceived thirty  lakhs  or  rupees,  which  at  par  would  represent 
a  value  of  a  million  and  a  half  dollars.  The  entire  struc- 
ture is  of  snow-white  marble,  and  much  of  the  vast  interior 
is  inlaid  with  precious  stones  and  costly  jewels. 

A  great  gateway  opens  into  the  Taj  court  or  garden, 
and  is  in  itself  a  magnificent  structure.  It  is  built  of  red 
sandstone  inlaid  with  white  marble  ornaments.  The  top  is 
surmounted  with  twenty-six  white  marble  cupolas.  Impa- 
tient as  we  were  to  see  the  Taj  itself,  we  could  not  help  but 
stop  to  admire  the  fine  effect  of  this  massive  gateway.  "  It 
is  not  only  beautiful,  but  it  increases  the  glories  of  the 
mausoleum  itself,  by  the  contrast  of  its  somewhat  stern-red 
sandstone  with  the  soft  and  pearl-white  marble  of  which  it 
is  built."  There  are  three  of  these  gateway's,  the  main  en- 
trance at  the  south,  and  the  other  two  at  the  east  and  west 
ends  of  the  garden. 

Having  entered  the  gateway  there  bursts  upon  the  view 
a  scene  of  unequaled  beauty.  You  stand  on  the  border  of  a 
beautiful  garden  three  hundreds  yards  long  and  one  hundred 


PEARL    OF    INDIA.  375 

and  fifty  wide,  with  the  flora  of  India  in  all  its  richness  be- 
fore you.  In  the  center  of  the  garden  is  an  avenue  of  state- 
ly cypress  trees  standing  on  both  sides  of  a  stream  of  pure 
water,  clear  as  crystal,  with  twenty  fountains.  On  both 
sides  of  the  avenue  are  the  garden  beds,  all  aglow  with 
patches  of  rich  color.  The  air  is  laden  with  the  sweet  per- 
fume of  rose  and  jasmine,  and  the  choice  shrubs  and  trees 
are  alive  wnth  feathered  songsters,  whose  soft  notes  lend  a 
rich  charm  to  the  scene.  You  raise  your  eyes  from  the 
beauty  of  the  garden,  and  there  meets  your  astonished  vi- 
sion, in  all  its  beauty  and  grandeur,  "  the  snow-white  won- 
der," the  Taj  itself.  It  stands  in  the  center  of  a  platform 
faced  with  white  marble,  exactly  three  hundred  and  thirteen 
feet  square  and  eighteen  feet  high,  with  a  white  marble 
minaret  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  feet  high  at  each  cor- 
ner. The  building  itself  is  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  feet 
square,  with  thirty-three  and  one-half  feet  cut  off  at  the 
corners. 

I  stood  before  the  Taj  as  if  entranced.  I  wondered 
again  and  again  how  human  mind  and  hand  could  invent 
and  fashion  anything  so  w^ondrously  beautiful.  I  have  ad- 
mired the  tomb  of  Napoleon  I.  at  Paris,  world  renowned  for 
its  beauty;  I  have  wandered  through  the  Albert  memorial 
chapel  at  Windsor  palace,  the  gem  of  all  Europe,  a  worthy 
memento  of  the  wifeh'  love  and  affection  of  England's 
greatest  queen  for  her  dead  husband;  I  have  stood  beneath 
the  dome  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome,  the  ecclesiastical  architec- 
tural wonder  of  the  world,  and  have  beheld  with  amazement 
the  beauties  of  the  alabaster  mosque  at  Cairo,  but  none  of 
these  are  to  be  compared  with  the  Taj.  This  pearl  of  India 
easily  bears  the  palm  of  victory. 

Entering  the  great  doorwa}-  to  the  central  dome — both 
doors  of  which  were  at  one  time  of  solid  silver,  but  were 


3/6  CI  K  1)1. INC    THE    GLOBE. 

melted  down  and  coined  b\-  one  of  the  shah's  more  practical 
successors — the  wonder  increases.  Beneath  the  Ioft\-  dome 
lies  the  dust  of  the  emperor  and  his  wife.  Surrounding  the 
gem-like  tombs  is  a  screen  of  marble,  cut  through  and 
through  into  beautiful  scrolls  and  trellis  work.  Here  the 
art  of  the  marble  cutter  reaches  its  highest  skill.  The 
delicate  cutting  of  the  screen  is  like  fine  lace-work.  The 
columns  and  borders  of  the  screen,  inside  and  out,  the 
tombs  and  thousands  of  square  feet  of  the  interior  of  the 
dome  are  inlaid  with  precious  stones  and  jewels.  It  is  the 
perfect  work  of  the  most  skillful  jeweler.  Graceful  vines, 
pendent  leaves,  fruits,  flowers  and  buds  in  various  colors  are 
the  forms  of  embellishment.  And  these  inlaid  figures  are 
of  turquoise,  coral,  agate,  sardonyx  and  bloodstone,  while 
here  and  there  sparkle  gems  of  the  first  water. 

The  echo  in  the  interior  is  exceedingly  fine.  A  note  of 
low,  soft  music  is  caught  up  in  the  marble  vault  and  ampli- 
fied into  a  hundred  harmonious  sounds,  swelling  out  into  a 
grand  chorus  and  then  dying  away  into  a  hushed  whisper. 

At  the  entrance  gateway  is  an  inscription  which  reads, 
"  Only  the  pure  in  heart  shall  see  the  garden  of  God,"  while 
on  the  tomb  of  Jehan  are  these  words: 

"This  world  is  a  bridge; 
Pass  on  over  it,  but  build  not  upon  it; 
This  world  is  one  hour; 
Give  its  minutes  to  thy  prayers, 
For  the  rest  is  unseen." 

Such  is  the  Taj  Mahal,  and  it  has  its  lesson.  Built  as  a 
memento  of  human  love,  it  shows  what  the  mind  can  con- 
ceive and  the  hand  finish.  The  most  perfect  work  of  its 
kind  in  the  world,  it  stands  as  an  evidence  of  what  men  are 
willing  to  do  for  the  objects  of  their  love.  How  much  more 
ought  we  to  do  for  the  One  who  loved  us  and  died  to  save 


o 

£ 

o 


THE   JUGGLER.  379 

us!  Immeasurably  greater  than  human  love  was  the  love 
that  brought  our  Savior  down  from  heaven  to  endure  the 
deepest  sorrows  that  ever  wrung  the  human  heart,  and  to 
die  the  cruel  death  of  the  cross.  Surely  we  ought  to  be 
ready  to  consecrate  our  lives  and  all  we  have  and  are  to 
our  dear  Savior.  If  Shah  Jehan  builded  so  for  his  favorite 
queen,  how  much  more  ought  we  to  build  for  Christ!  Not 
in  perishable  marble  are  we  called  upon  to  build,  but  a  tem- 
ple in  our  hearts  for  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  sent 
into  the  world  to  comfort  and  abide  with  all  the  disciples  of 
Jesus. 

The  conjurer  and  juggler  have  flourished  in  the  Orient 
ever  since  the  days  when  Jannes  and  Jambres  withstood 
Moses  and  succeeded  in  part,  by  enchantment  or  sleight-of- 
hand,  in  producing  imitations  of  the  plagues  sent  by  the 
Lord  upon  Pharaoh,  and  thus  hardened  his  heart.  You  will 
meet  the  snake-charmer  and  the  sleight-of-hand  performer 
even  in  Egypt  to-day,  and  no  doubt  they  handle  their 
serpents  much  the  same  as  the  ancient  enchanters  handled 
theirs,  and  play  all  manner  of  clever  conjuring  tricks  with 
wonderful  dexterity.  For  aught  we  know  these  may  be  the 
descendants  of  the  old-time  conjurers  of  the  days  of  Moses. 

But  India  is  the  home  of  the  juggler.  The  Hindus, — ■ 
both  young  and  old, — appear  to  take  the  greatest  delight  in 
their  performances,  and  they  are  easily  led  to  believe  that 
they  possess  supernatural  power.  The  juggler  meets  )-ou 
on  the  street  and  in  front  of  your  hotel,  and  is  always 
ready,  with  or  without  your  consent,  to  display  his  powers, 
hoping  in  the  end  to  be  rewarded  for  his  skill.  He  carries 
his  entire  outfit  in  a  small  bag,  slung  over  his  shoulders,  and 
many  are  the  stories  told  in  the  books  written  on  India 
about  the  wonderful  tricks  he  can  perform.  To  some  his 
powers    appear    so   remarkable    and    his    performances    so 


3^0 


GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 


wonderful,  that  even  intelligent  men  and  women  have  said 
"  Surely,  these  men  are  more  than  human."     The  Spiritual- 
ists at  home  have  long  made  the  claim  that  the  jugglers  of 
India  have  the  assistance  of  departed  spirits  in  the  perform- 


SNAKE    CHARMER. 


ance  of  their  tricks.  So  exceedingly  clever  are  they  that 
even  some  of  the  missionaries  have  been  deceived,  and  in 
some  instances  their  published  descriptions  have  strength- 
ened the  belief  held  by  the  Spiritualists. 


CONJURERS    IN    INDIA.  38I 

Because  of  the  claims  made  by  the  Spiritualists  and 
Theosophists,  because  enchantment  and  conjuring  is  a  Bi- 
ble subject,  and,  further,  because  some  of  our  friends  re- 
quested us  to  investigate  the  matter  carefully,  and,  if  possi- 
ble, prove  the  truth  or  falsit}'  of  the  claims  made,  we  took 
som_e  pains  to  look  into  the  doings  of  these  men,  and  have 
concluded  to  give  our  readers  the  result  of  the  investigation. 

The  jugglers  in  India  form  a  distinct  class,  the  business 
descending  from  father  to  son  for  many  generations. 
From  earliest  childhood  the  training  begins.  The  hands, 
'  and  especially  the  fingers,  are  the  special  "objects  of  train- 
ing. All  the  secrets  of  the  profession  arc  handed  down, 
and  the  son  of  a  juggler  is  an  adept  in  the  art  when  he  is  a 
mere  boy.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  then  that,  with  in- 
herited and  acquired  ability  and  with  the  secrets  of  genera- 
tions of  jugglers  in  his  keeping,  he  becomes  exceedingly 
proficient  in  his  calling. 

We  met  scores  of  conjurers  during  our  stay  in  India  and 
Ceylon,  and  upon  the  street  and  in  the  open  space  before 
the  hotels  we  saw  many  of  them  perform  the  most  sur- 
prising and  wonderful  tricks.  One  of  them,  seated  upon 
a  white  cloth,  asked  one  of  those  present  to  lay  a  silver 
rupee — a  coin  a  trifle  smaller  than  our  half  dollar — upon  the 
cloth.  The  conjurer  then  commanded  the  coin  to  come  to 
him,  and  immediately  it  began  to  move  slowly  over  the 
cloth,  and  kept  on  moving  until  it  reached  the  magician's 
hand.  It  is  needless  to  add  that  the  owner  never  saw  his 
coin  after  the  juggler's  hand  closed  over  it. 

At  Agra  the  noted  conjurer,  Khali  Khan,  came  to  our 
hotel.  A  number  of  persons  were  sitting  on  the  porch,  and 
Khali  seated  himself  on  the  ground  and,  without  the  aid  of 
an  assistant,  performed  a  number  of  what  appeared  to  us  to 
be    very  woriderful    feats.     We    watched  very    closely   and 


382  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

were  unable  to  solve  the  myster\-  of  his  doings.  He  mixed 
a  quantity  of  three  colored  powders — yellow,  red  and  blue — 
in  a  glass  of  water,  and  then  swallowed  the  mixture.  Pres- 
ently he  blew  out  of  his  mouth  a  quantity  of  the  yellow,  red 
and  blue  powders.  From  an  apparently  empt\'  bag,  which 
he  hammered  on  the  ground,  he  produced  a  number  of  eggs. 
He  made  balls  and  coins  disappear  and  reappear  in  strange 
places  and  in  a  remarkable  manner.  He  produced  an  emp- 
ty basket  and  handed  it  around  among  the  spectators  for 
examination,  and  all  decided  that  it  was  really  empty.  He 
placed  it  on  the  ground,  and  then  lifting  it  up  there  ap- 
peared half  a  dozen  beautiful  little  singing  birds.  They 
chirped,  picked  up  crumbs  thrown  to  them,  and  were,  with- 
out doubt,  real  birds.  All  these  things  were  done  with  a 
dexterity  and  cleverness  that  defied  the  closest  scrutin)'. 

Among  other  things,  he  performed  the  mango  tree 
trick.  The  mango  is  said  to  be  the  best  fruit  in  India;  when 
ripe  it  is  about  the  size  of  an  orange  and  yellow  in  color. 
The  conjurer  apparently  causes  a  small  tree  to  grow  and 
bear  fruit  in  the  space  of  a  very  few  minutes.  We  had 
heard  much  of  this  extraordinary  feat,  and  it  was  claimed 
that  more  than  human  power  was  required  to  perform  it. 
It  had,  however,  been  noticed  that  the  juggler  produced 
the  ripe  mango  only  when  that  fruit  was  in  season.  But 
when  the  time  of  mangoes  had  been  past  several  months, — 
the  fruit  is  perishable  and  can  be  kept  only  a  short  time, — 
here  was  Khali  Khan  apparently  causing  a  small  mango 
tree  to  grow  and  bear  ripened  fruit. 

As  this  was  one  of  the  most  clever  tricks  performed,  I 
give  the  details:  First  the  conjurer  gathered  some  dust 
from  the  rOadwa}-  and  filled  an  ordinary  eastern  flowerpot 
with  it.  Into  this  he  put  a  dry  mango  seed.  He  then  cov- 
ered the  pot  with  a  white  cloth  some  two  yards  square.     In 


JUGGLER    AT    WORK.  383 

a  few  minutes  he  lifted  the  cloth  and  poured  some  water  in- 
to the  pot  and  covered  it  up  again.  In  his  right  hand  he 
held  the  skull  of  a  monkey,  'and  this  he  passed'  over  the 
cloth,  repeating  some  words  in  Hindustani,  and  then,  when 
he  lifted  the  cloth,  behold  the  seed  had  sprouted  and  two 
small  leaves  had  pushed  their  way  above  the  ground,  show- 
ing that  the  tree  was  growing.  Again  more  water  was  add- 
ed and  the  pot  covered,  and  when  in  a  few  minutes  the 
cloth  was  again  lifted,  the  rustling  leaves  and  small  branch- 
es of  a  little  mango  tree  a  foot  high  met  our  astonished 
gaze.  But  the  surprise  was  greater  when  Khali  dug  up  the 
little  tree  and  showed  us  how  it  had  sprouted  out  of  the 
seed  and  how  the  rootlets  had  grown  down.  He  then  re- 
planted it,  poured  in  more  water  and  replaced  the  cloth. 
In  the  meantime  he  performed  a  number  of  feats,  all  of 
which  showed  him  to  be  an  adept  in  his  line  of  work.  He 
then  turned  his  attention  to  the  mango  tree  again.  He 
raised  the  cloth  and  there  stood  a  miniature  tree  between 
two  and  three  feet  high,  with  several  branches  all  covered 
with  bright  green  leaves,  among  which  appeared  two  man- 
goes, one  fully  ripe,  the  other  green  on  one  side  and  yellow 
on  the  other.  All  this  had  been  done  so  quickly  and  so 
cleverl}-  that,  notwithstanding  we  had  watched  every  move- 
ment of  the  juggler,  we  were  unable  to  tell  how  it  was  done. 
In  the  open  street,  without  the  aid  of  an  assistant,  the  con- 
jurer had  caused  a  mango  tree  to  grow  and  bear  ripe  fruit  in 
less  than  ten  minutes  after  he  deposited  the  seed  in  the  dry 
earth.  Look  at  it  as  we  might,  it  was  a  wonderful  feat. 
There  stood  the  tree  with  its  fruit.  To  doubt  this  would 
have  been  to  doubt  our  senses.  To  us  it  seemed  that  the 
performance  was  fully  equal  to  what  Jannes  and  Jambres 
had  done.  Every  one  present  was  perplexed.  Could  it  be 
possible  that  Khali  possessed  more  than  human  power,  and 


384  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

that  the  claims  of  the  Spiritualists,  after  all,  were  true?  We 
could,  by  no  possible  means,  tell  how  the  feat  had  been  ac- 
complished, but  we  felt  sure  it  was  but  a  clever  display  of 
sleic^ht-of-hand,  and  we  determined,  if  i)Ossible,  to  find  out 
how  it  was  done. 

After  Khali  had  finished  his  tricks  and  taken  up  a  col- 
lection, we  called  him  to  one  side  and  invited  him  to  our 
roouL  There  we  had  an  interview  with  him,  and  by  the  of- 
fer of  a  few  pieces  of  silver  we  induced  him  to  give  us  an 
insight  not  only  into  the  mango  tree  trick,  but  into  a  num- 
ber of  other  equally  clever  performances. 

The  different-sized  mango  trees  were  carefully  and 
closely  wrapped  up  in  the  edge  of  the  cloth  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  to  entirely  escape  notice.  While  he  was  pouring  wa- 
ter into  the  flowerpot  and  manipulating  the  cloth,  he  man- 
aged to  put  the  first  shoot  into  the  earth,  and  this  he  did  so 
quickly  as  to  escape  detection.  In  like  manner  the  suc- 
ceeding growths  were  put  in.  The  fruit  was  an  imitation, 
and  it  was  so  much  like  the  real  mango  that  every  one  was 
deceived.  After  we  were  shown  how  the  trick  was  accom- 
plished, we  wondered  at  our  simplicity  in  being  so  easily 
deceived.  But  as  the  old  man  sat  on  the  floor  in  our  room, 
and  several  of  us  sat  around  him  watching  him  closely  be- 
fore he  showed  how  it  was  done,  he  performed  the  trick 
again  and  we  failed  to  solve  the  m)'stery.  We  saw  here  an 
illustration  of  the  simple  fact  that  motion  is  quicker  than 
sight.  After  he  disclosed  to  us  the  secret,  it  all  seemed  sim- 
ple enough.  We  now  had  evidence  of  what  we  were  person- 
ally fully  convinced  of  before,  i.  e.,  that  the  claim  of  the 
Spiritualists  that  the  jugglers  of  India  have  supernatural 
power  is  false,  that  it  is  based  upon  the  clever  ability  of  the 
sleight-of-hand  performers  in  playing  their  tricks;  and  that, 


CLAIMS    OF    SUPERNATURAL    POWER.  385 

as  the  conjurers  deceived  Pharaoh,  so,  in  like  manner,  have 
the  jugglers  of  India  deceived  the  Theosophists. 

In  answer  to  a  question  as  to  how  long  he  had  been  in 
the  business  of  juggling,  Khali  said,  "All  my  lifetime,"  and 
when  we  met  him  he  must  have  been  at  least  sixty  years 
old.  He  also  told  us  that  his  father,  grandfather  and  great- 
grandfather had  all  been  famous  conjurers  in  their  time; 
and,  no  doubt,  if  the  Khans  had  kept  a  family  record,  it 
would  appear  that  for  a  thousand  years  the  secrets  of  the 
conjurer  had  been  handed  down  from  father  to  son.  As  be- 
fore stated,  this  fact  accounts  in  part  for  their  remarkable 
power  to  perform  seeming  miracles.  After  we  left  Agra  we 
met  many  jugglers,  for  their  name  is  legion  in  India.  At 
Calcutta,  Madras  and  Colombo,  they  are  to  be  met  in 
scores,  and  at  these  places  they  are  especiall)'  noted  for  the 
cleverness  with  which  they  perform  their  tricks.  When 
they  invited  us  to  witness  their  feats,  we  usually  replied  b}' 
saying,  "We  have  seen  Khali  Khan  at  Agra,"  and  the  repl\' 
would  be,  "Ah,  Khali  Khan;  him  very  good  juggler,  he  my 
cousin." 

Our  investigations  have  only  more  full\-  confirmed  us  in 
the  belief  that  all  claims  of  supernatural  power  made  in 
these  days  are  based  either  upon  error  or  fraud.  The  Gos- 
pel teaches  that  in  the  last  da}'s  men  shall  arise  mailing 
such  claims  and  going  even  so  far  as  to  claim  that  they  are 
Christs.  These  false  teachers  are  to  have  remarkable  pow- 
ers, sufificient,  if  it  were  possible,  to  deceive  even  the  very 
elect.  But  they  claim  ability  that  they  do  not  possess,  and 
are  either  deceivers  or  self-deceived  All  this  is  only  an  in- 
dication that  the  coming  of  the  Lord  is  near  at  hand.  Let 
us  not  be  deceived  and  drawn  away  from  the  truth  by  these 
claimants  of  supernatural  powers!  They  may  be  able  to  do 
just  as  wonderful  things  as  Khali  Khan,  but  the)'  possess  no 


386 


GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 


more  supernatural  power  than  does  the  astute  and  clever 
juggler  at  Agra.     We  are  not  to  be  understood  as  limiting 


h'Z. 


A    HLXDU    HOLY    MAN. 


HOLY    MEN.  387 

the  power  of  God.  We  are  referring  to  men  who  claim 
such  power  and  walk  not  after  the  truth  as  it  is  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ. 

Another  class  to  be  met  in  all  parts  of  India  is  the 
fakirs  or  so-called  holy  men.  They  are  India's  religious 
tramp,  and  the  ignorant  people  delight  to  do  them  honor. 
The)'  gain  their  reputation  by  mortifying  the  flesh,  and  in 
the  pursuance  of  this  object  endure  all  kinds  of  physical 
suffering.  They  believe  there  is  merit  in  works,  and  carry 
the  doctrine  to  the  utmost  extreme.  Some  of  them  wear 
about  the  neck  an  iron  frame  which  is  not  only  inconvenient 
but  very  painful.  They  smear  their  bodies  with  mud  and 
daub  lime  on  the  hair  of  the  head  and  the  beard,  presenting 
a  most  revolting  appearance.  Many  of  them  wear  but  a 
few  rags  about  the  loins,  and  this  because  the  government, 
in  the  interest  of  common  decency,  forbids  them  to  walk 
about  in  a  nude  state.  The}'  beg  their  way  as  the}'  go  from 
place  to  place  and  the  poor  people  feed  them  and  are  thus 
heavil}'  burdened  by  this  constant  drain  on  their  resources; 
but  they  give  cheerfully,  accepting  the  tramp's  blessing  in 
exchange  for  what  they  give.  One  of  these  fakirs  came  to 
Bulsar  and  gained  quite  a  reputation  for  piety  by  suspend- 
ing himself  head  downward  from  the  limb  of  a  tree  and 
swinging  back  and  forth  over  a  fire.  Another  at  Benares 
has  held  his  hand  above  his  head  until  the  arm  has  grown 
stiff  and  has  shriveled  away  to  a  skeleton  form.  As  a  re- 
sult he  is  accorded  divine  honors.  Ignorance  and  supersti- 
tion, twin  sisters,  are  responsible  for  these  things;  both  are 
to  be  feared  and  dreaded. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


Delhi  —  Luc /enow — Cawnfiore — The  Indian  Mutiny — Tlic  Peacock 
■  Throne —Memorial  Well  at  Cawnpore — Sava^s;e  Cruelty — Benares 
— Sleeping  in  Tents — The  Sacred  River  Ganges — All  Kinds  of 
Gods  for  Sale  —  Bathing  in  the  Ganges — Earnestness  of  the  Dev- 
otees^On  the  Ganges — ''Purdah  Women"  —  Image  of  the  God 
Bhifna — Faith-Healing — The  Burning  Ghats — Idols,  Idols  Every- 
where—  Christian  {?)  England  Makiitg  Idols  for  India  —  Golden 
Tejuple — Tlie  Monkey  Temple. 

Delhi,  Lucknow  and  Cawnpore, — the  names  of  these 
three  cities  are  inseparably  connected  with  the  history  of 
the  Indian  Mutiny  of  1S57.  The  siege  and  storming  of 
Delhi  and  the  defense  of  Lucknow  by  English  soldiers, 
are  among  the  most  remarkable  instances  of  personal 
bravery  recorded  in  the  annals  of  war.  The  sad  fate  of 
some  two  hundred  defenseless  Christian  women  and  chil- 
dren,— reserved  for  a  fate  worse  than  death  by  their  cruel 
captors,  and  finally  massacred  by  order  of  the  rebel.  Nana 
Sahib,  and  thrown,  the  living  with  the  dead,  into  a  deep 
well — will  not  be  forgotten  while  the  name  of  Cawnpore 
is  known  among  men.  War  is  mercilessly  cruel,  and  those 
who  are  responsible  for  it  take  upon  their  heads  the  blood, 
and  tears,  and  sorrow,  and  suffering  of  countless  millions  of 
human  beings. 

But  it  is  not  our  purpose  to  go  into  the  bloody  records 
of  the  most  cruel  war  of  modern  times.  Our  route  of 
travel  through  India  took  in  Delhi,  as  it  did  Lucknow  and 
Cawnpore.  But  a  smallpox  epidemic  was  raging  in  the 
former  city,  and  we  passed   it  by.     We,  however,  make  a 

brief  reference  to  the  "  The  City  of  the  Siege." 

(388) 


THE  PEACOCK.  THRONE.  389 

Delhi  was  founded  in  1628,  by  Shah  Jehan,  he  who 
built  the  Taj  Mahal  at  A<^ia,  described  in  a  preceding 
chapter.  He  was  one  of  the  great  Mogul  Emperors  of 
India,  and  sought,  more  than  all  else,  to  leave  behind  him 
monuments  in  the  shape  of  magnificent  buildings.  It  was 
he  who  caused  to  be  made,  it  is  said  at  a  cost  of  thirty 
million  dollars,  the  Peacock  Throne,  the  wonder  of  the 
Orient  for  centuries.  The  following  description  of  this 
royal  throne,  resplendent  in  the  richest  precious  stones, 
is  quoted  from  Beresford's  work:  "The  Throne  was  so 
called  from  its  having  the  figures  of  two  peacocks  standing 
behind  it,  their  tails  being  expanded,  and  the  whole  so 
inlaid  with  sapphires,  rubies,  emeralds,  pearls,  and  other 
precious  stones  of  appropriate  colors,  as  to  represent  life. 
The  throne  itself  was  six  feet  long  by  four  broad.  It  stood 
on  six  massive  feet,  which,  with  the  body,  were  of  solid 
gold,  inlaid  with  rubies,  emeralds  and  diamonds.  It  was 
surmounted  b}'  a  canopy  of  gold,  supported  b\-  twelve 
pillars,  all  richly  emblazoned  with  costly  gems,  and  a 
fringe  of  pearls  ornamented  the  borders  of  the  canopy. 
Between  the  two  peacocks  stood  the  figure  of  a  parrot  of 
the  ordinar}'  size,  said  to  have  been  carved  out  of  a  single 
emerald.  On  either  side  of  the  throne  stood  an  umbrella, 
one  of  the  Oriental  emblems  of  royalty.  They  were  formed 
of  crimson  velvet,  richly  embroidered  and  fringed  with 
pearls;  the  handles  were  eight  feet  high,  of  solid  gold,  and 
studded  with  diamonds."  It  stood  in  the  private  audi- 
ence hall  of  the  palace  which  was  also  equally  richly  and 
lavishly  decorated.  According  to  Arnold,  "  Nothing  in 
Imperial  Rome  ever  exceeded  the  magnificence  of  this 
royal  retreat  of  Shah  Jehan." 

A  European,  who  visited  Delhi  and  had  an  audience 
with    the    Mogul,   gives    this    description:    "The    king    ap- 


390  r,IRDLIX(;    THK    GLOBE. 

peared,  seated  upon  his  throne  at  the  end  of  the  great  hall, 
in  the  most  magnificent  attire.  His  vest  was  of  white  and 
delicately-flowered  satin,  with  a  silk  and  gold  embroidery 
of  the  finest  texture.  The  turban,  of  gold  cloth,  had  an 
aigrette  whose  base  was  composed  of  diamonds  of  an  ex- 
traordinary size  and  value,  besides  an  Oriental  topaz, 
which  may  be  pronounced  unparalleled,  exhibiting  a  lustre 
like  the  sun." 

This  brief  description  may  give  us  some  idea  of  the 
magnificence  and  wealth  of  the  Mogul  rulers  of  India.  It 
was  from  the  jewels  of  these  rich  emperors  that  England's 
ruler  received,  as  a  present,  the  Kohinoor,  the  largest  dia- 
mond in  the  world;  and  it  was  from  such  regal  splendor 
as  this  that  the  last  of  the  great  Mogul  emperors  was 
taken  by  the  English  to  die  the  miserable  death  of  a  pris- 
oner of  war  at  Rangoon;  and  now  the  British  flag  floats 
triumphantly  and  peacefully  over  what  was  the  magnificent 
palace  of  the  Moguls. 

The  throne  of  fabulous  price  became  one  of  the  rich 
prizes  of  war  in  the  seventeenth  century.  It  seems  almost 
incredible  that  thirty  million  dollars,  —  some  authorities 
place  the  amount  at  double  this, — in  gold  and  jewels, 
should,  in  the  form  of  a  throne,  become  a  spoil  of  war. 

At  Cawnpore  we  spent  several  days  very  pleasantly, 
and  enjoyed  a  visit  at  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  T. 
Bond.  We  met  these  good  people  at  Jerusalem,  on  their 
return  to  India  from  America.  Mr.  Bond  is  largely  inter- 
ested in  manufacturing  and  has  a  delightful  home.  He 
gave  us  much  valuable  information  concerning  social  ques- 
tions in  India.  Mrs.  Bond  is  an  active  missionary  worker 
and  is  doing  what  she  can  to  help  the  natives  to  a  higher 
and  a  better  life. 

At  Cawnpore  we  saw  an  illustration  of  the  veneration 


MEMORIAL    WELL.  391 

of  the  Hindus  for  the  monkey.  The  city  is  literally  over- 
run with  these  mischievous  and  destructive  marauders. 
As  we  passed  along  the  streets  we  saw  them  playing  on 
the  housetops  and  peering  curiously  from  the  combs  of 
the  roofs.  Many  times  a  troop  of  them  would  chase  each 
other  across  the  street  and  into  the  branches  of  the  trees 
by  the  wayside.  Mr.  Bond  told  us  that  they  were  exceed- 
ingly destructive  and  made  the  lot  of  the  poor  natives  a 
burden.  But  they  would  not  consent  to  have  a  single  one 
killed.  An  attempt  to  destroy  the  monkeys  would  cause 
the  natives  to  rise  in  rebellion.  A  few  years  ago  they  had 
become  so  numerous  and  burdensome  that  the  people  con- 
sented to  allow  them  to  be  captured  and  carried  to  a  for- 
est, a  considerable  distance  from  the  city.  For  some  time 
the  city  was  free  from  annoyance,  but,  one  by  one,  their 
old  friends  returned  again,  and  it  was  not  long  before  mon- 
keys were  as  plenty  as  before.  Another  attempt  was  made 
to  capture  them,  but  the  animals  cunningly  avoided  the 
traps.  They  had  been  caught  once,  and  that  was  enough 
for  them.  They  had  gained  wisdom  from  experience, 
which  is  more  than  can  be  said  of  some  people,  and  so 
Cawnpore  is  overrun  with  monkeys,  and  the  animals  es- 
cape destruction  because  the  natives  look  upon  them  as  be- 
ing sacred. 

One  place  in  Cawnpore,  of  more  than  usual  interest, 
is  the  Memorial  Well.  We  stood  before  the  monument 
and  reflected  upon  the  terrible  cruelty  of  war,  and  if  there 
is  any  place  in  the  world  where  such  reflections  crowd 
upon  the  mind,  that  place  is  here,  where  the  most  cruel 
tragedy  of  the  Sepoy  Mutiny  occurred. 

The  story  may  be  told  in  a  very  few  words.  In  1857, 
when  the  natives  rebelled  against  the  rule  of  Great  Britain, 
Cawnpore  was  garrisoned  by  three  thousand  Indian  troops 


39^  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

with  sixty  English  officers.  The  total  white  population  was 
about  nine  hundred,  including  men,  women  and  children. 
Among  these  were  a  number  of  missionaries  and  their 
families,  who  had  been  laboring  for  some  years  among 
the  people.  The  entire  body  of  native  soldiers,  with  the 
exception  of  eighty,  who  remained  true  to  the  English, 
joined  the  mutineers.  The  arms,  magazine  with  ammu- 
nition, and  artillery  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  rebels.  The 
English  were  enabled  to  arm  but  three  hundred  men,  and 
these  were  called  upon  to  defend  the  non-combatants 
against  the  assaults  of  the  enemy.  An  intrenchment  was 
hastily  made,  and  within  the  lines  were  collected  the 
doomed  band  of  aged  and  infirm  men,  with  the  women 
and  children,  about  seven  hundred  in  number.  "  Never  be- 
fore had  a  besieged  garrison  been  called  upon  to  do  greater 
things  than  this  little  body  of  about  three  hundred  English 
soldiers,  hampered  by  every  disadvantage,  and  exposed 
to  the  continuous  fire  of  three  thousand  trained  soldiers, 
well  fed,  lodged  and  armed."  In  three  weeks  the  deaths 
within  the  intrenchment  were  two  hundred  and  fifty. 
Their  provision  was  at  last  exhausted,  and  under  the  prom- 
ise of  safe  conduct  to  the  river  side  and  of  boats  to  take 
them  down  the  Ganges,  the  garrison  surrendered.  They 
marched  down  to  the  river,  hopeful  that  their  worst  trials 
were  over.  But  the  hope  was  delusive,  for,  as  they  were 
entering  the  boats,  their  treacherous  enemies  opened  fire 
upon  the  devoted  band,  and  only  four  escaped  to  tell  the 
stor}'.  About  two  hundred  women  and  children  were 
saved  from  the  massacre  by  the  leader.  Nana  Sahib,  for 
a  fate  worse  even  than  death.  They  were  imprisoned  in 
small  houses  near  the  rebels'  headquarters,  and,  after  suf- 
ferings too  terrible  to  relate,  they  were,  on  Jul)'  15,  1857, 
cruelly  massacred  by  order  of  the  rebel  chiefs.     Many  were 


Memorial    Well,    Cawnpore. 


394  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

severely  wounded,  but  the  "  dead  and  the  dying "  were 
thrown  into  a  well  near  the  spot  where  the  fearful  deed 
was  enacted.  It  was  a  terrible  crime,  and  it  met  a  swift 
and  terrible  retribution.  Not  many  days  later  an  English 
army  marched  upon  the  place,  and,  frenzied  to  madness 
by  the  horrible  cruelty  of  the  mutineers,  signally  defeated 
them,  and  a  number  of  the  prisoners  taken  were  actually 
blown  from  the  mouths  of  cannon. 

Over  the  well  containing  the  dust  of  the  two  hundred 
women  and  children  a  monument  was  erected,  and  the 
place  is  now  knowm  as  the  memorial  well  and  garden. 
The  thirty  acres  of  ground  is  beautifully  laid  out  and  plant- 
ed with  trees,  shrubs  and  flowers.  Over  the  well  a  mound 
is  raised  and  this  is  surmounted  with  the  monument.  The 
principal  figure  is  the  angel  of  the  resurrection  in  white 
marble — a  fine  piece  of  sculpture.  The  hands  are  meekl\' 
folded  across  the  breast  and  in  each  is  the  emblem  of 
peace.  An  arch  bears  this  inscription,  "These  are  they 
w^hich  came  out  of  great  tribulation."  Around  the  wall 
which  marks  the  circle  of  the  well  are  engraved  these 
words: 

"  Sacred  to  the  perpetual  memory  of  a  great  company  of  Christian 
people,  chiefly  women  and  children,  who  near  this  spot  were  cruelly 
murdered  by  the  followers  of  the  rebel  Xana  Dhunda  Paut,  of  Bithur, 
and  cast,  the  dying  with  the  dead,  into  the  well  below,  on  July  15,  1857." 

War  is  terribly  cruel.  The  common  instincts  of  hu- 
manity are  changed  to  the  ferocity  of  the  evil  one.  Mad- 
dened by  blood,  men  made  in  the  image  of  God  become 
human  tigers,  destroy  life  and  rejoice  at  human  suffering. 
Talk  about  a  humane  war.  All  war  is  inhuman  and  con- 
trary to  the  teaching  of  the  Prince  of  Peace.  On  this  side 
of  the  world  we  hear  of  the  rumors  of  war  at  home,  and 


Benares.  395 

our  prayer  is  that  God  may  graciously  keep  such  a  calam- 
ity from  falling  upon  our  beloved  home  land. 

From  Cawnpore,  with  its  memorial  well  and  great  bur- 
den of  sad  associations,  and  Lucknow,  with  its  battle- 
scarred  residency,  silent  and  ruined  monument  of  the  most 
notable  defense  of  all  modern  times,  we  hurried  on  to 
Benares,  the  great  center  of  Hindu  idolatry.  Here  we 
found  the  hotel  crowded,  and,  as  there  was  no  room  Tor 
our  little  compan}'  of  travelers  at  the  inn,  we  were  obliged 
to  take  up  our  abode  not  in  a  stable,  but  in  tents.  These 
were  large  and  had  the  advantage  of  good  ventilation;  but 
as  the  air  was  quite  cool  after  the  setting  of  the  sun  our 
roomy  quarters  were  too  cold  for  comfort.  Then,  too,  our 
nightly  slumbers  were  often  broken  by  the  howling  of  the 
jackals  and  the  deep,  hoarse  growl  of  the  jungle  cat. 
When  the  animals  came  too  close  to  our  tents,  the  guards 
who  kept  watch  by  night  called  out  to  each  other  and 
drove  them  away.  But  one  could  not  help  feeling  a  little 
nervous  when  thinking  about  the  possibilities  of  the  close 
proximity  of  these  ferocious  animals. 

Benares,  with  a  population  of  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  thousand  souls,  is  built  on  the  high  banks  of  the  Gan- 
ges, the  most  sacred  stream  in  all  the  world  to  the  Hindu. 
The  early  history  of  the  place  is  lost  in  the  myths  of  tra- 
dition. It  is  claimed  that  the  city  existed  six  hundred 
years  before  the  Christian  era,  and  that  it  was  certainly 
older  than  Alexander  the  Great.  It  may  be  said  with 
certainty  that  Benares  is  older  than  the  Christian  era.  As 
the  Hindus  paid  little  attention  to  records,  scarcely  any- 
thing is  known  of  events  which  occurred  in  more  recent 
years. 

If  the  Great  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  were  living  to-day, 
and  were  to  visit  Benares  as  he  did  Athens  nearly  nineteen 


396  GIRDLING   THE   GLOBE. 

centuries  ago,  surely  his  great  spirit  would  be  stirred  within 
him,  for  this  modern  city  is  wholly  given  to  an  idolatry, 
which,  in  many  of  its  features,  is  worse  than  was  the  idolatry 
of  the  Greeks.  The  ancient  Greeks  numbered  their  gods  by 
the  thousand,  the  modern  Hindus  number  theirs  b\'  the  mil- 
lion, and  are  continually  adding  to  the  list.  Benares  is  the 
very  center  and  stronghold  of  Hinduism.  Here  are  to  be 
found  more  priests,  more  so-called  holy  men,  more  temples, 
more  sacred  places,  more  idols  and  more  idolaters  than  in 
any  other  city  in  India  or,  for  that  matter,  in  all  the  world. 
There  are  no  less  than  fourteen  hundred  temples  in  the  city, 
with  idols  innumerable.  It  requires  an  army  of  twenty 
thousand  Brahman  priests  to  conduct  the  worship  and  re- 
ceive the  gifts  offered  by  the  deluded  people,  for  these  peo- 
ple give  liberally  of  their  means  to  build  temples,  to  set  up 
idols  and  to  support  the  priests. 

It  has  been  said  that  what  Jerusalem  is  to  the  Jew  and 
Christian,  and  what  Mecca  is  to  the  Mohammedan,  all  that 
and  much  more  is  Benares  to  the  Hindu.  To  make  a  pil- 
grimage to  the  city  of  thousands  of  temples  and  millions  of 
idols,  to  bathe  in  the  sacred  waters  of  the  Ganges  or  to  die 
upon  its  shore — with  the  last  lingering  gaze  of  the  eye  fixed 
in  death  upon  its  flowing  tide — is  to  secure  full  forgiveness 
for  all  past  sins  and  to  gain  eternal  life.  And  more  than 
this.  If  the  body  of  the  dead  be  but  dipped  in  the  water  of 
the  stream  and  burned  on  its  shore  at  Benares,  eternal  hap- 
piness is  secured,  no  matter  what  the  life  of  the  dead  may 
have  been.  Such  is  the  faith  of  the  orthodox  Hindu,  and  he 
clings  to  it  with  much  greater  tenacity  than  some  Christians 
hold  to  theirs.  This  being  true,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at 
that  the  Hindus  flock  to  Benares  not  only  by  hundreds  and 
thousands  but  by  hundreds  of  thousands.  The  streets  are 
thronged   with   them   and   the  bathing    places  are   crowded 


BATHING    GHATS.  397 

from  early  morning  until  late  in  the  evening.  Men  and 
women  of  all  ages  and  conditions  in  life  are  met  in  the 
streets.  They  come  for  one  purpose  alone,  and  when  that 
is  accomplished  they  go  their  way  rejoicing,  and  are  thence- 
forth regarded  by  their  less  fortunate  fellows  as  holy. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  day  following  our  arrival, 
we  placed  ourselves  under  the  care  of  an  experienced  guide, 
an  educated  Brahman  who  spoke  English  quite  well,  and 
started  out  to  see  the  city.  Our  first  objective  point 
was  the  Ganges  and  its  bathing  places,  known  to  the  Hin- 
dus as  ghats.  These  are  simply  broad  stone  steps  built 
from  the  water's  edge  up  the  sloping  bank  of  the  stream  to 
the  temples  which  line  its  shore  for  a  league  or  more. 
There  are  no  less  than  forty-seven  of  these  immense  stone 
stairways,  ranging  in  width  from  forty  to  sixty  feet.  There 
is  neither  roof  nor  screen.  The  bathing  place  is  entirely 
open  and  public.  At  some  places  large  umbrellas  are  sta- 
tioned to  shelter  the  more  favored  bathers  from  the  hot 
rays  of  the  midday  sun.  On  the  platforms  at  the  head  of 
the  stairway  are  to  be  found  throngs  of  priests  going  to 
and  fro  to  the  numerous  temples,  busily  receiving  offerings 
from  the  crowds  of  pilgrims  that  constantly  come  and  go. 

We  drove  several  miles  before  reaching  the  native  city, 
for  our  tents  are  pitched  near  the  hotel  which  is  really  out 
in  the  country.  Very  few  foreigners  care  to  live  in  a  native 
town.  Hence  hotels  and  mission  houses  are  usually  built  in 
suburbs  known  as  Cantonments.  After  reaching  the  native 
portion  of  the  city  we  passed  through  a  number  of  bazaars 
crowded  with  natives,  some  intent  upon  the  ordinary  affairs 
of  every-day  life,  while  others  were  hurrying  down  to  the 
river  to  worship  and  bathe. 

After  an  hour's  drive  we  came  to  a  portion  of  the  city 
with  streets  too   narrow  to  admit  our  carriage.     Our  guide 


398  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

now  led  us  hither  and  thither  through  a  perfect  labyrinth  of 
streets  and  lanes.  The  streets  were  crowded  with  pilgrims 
on  their  way  to  the  Ganges,  while  priests,  vendors  of  idols, 
and  the  sacred  ox  and  cow  mingled  with  the  throng.  On 
both  sides  of  the  narrow  streets  were  little,  box-like  shops 
where  \'Ou  might  buy  your  choice  of  idols,  not  only  as  to 
size  and  to  kind,  but  also  as  to  quality  of  material.  Here 
were  gods  big  and  little,  made  of  clay,  of  wood,  of  stone,  of 
brass,  of  bronze,  of  silver,  and  even  of  gold.  Some  of  them 
are  large  enough  to  set  up  in  a  temple,  others  are  small 
enough  to  dangle  as  a  charm  at  your  watch  chain.  But 
among  them  all  none  are  more  highly  prized  than  the  long, 
round,  smooth  stones  taken  from  river  or  brook,  polished 
by  the  water  and  worshiped  as  the  symbols  of  Shiva,  the 
ignorant  idolater  believing  that  the  spirit  of  his  god  dwells 
in  the  stone,  and  that  it  was  sent  to  him  from  the  god  him- 
self. 

We  threaded  our  way  along  the  narrow  streets,  jostled 
by  the  great  throng  until  we  emerged  from  among  the 
shops  and  temples  and  stood  upon  the  upper  platform  of  one 
of  the  giant  stairways  that  lead  down  to  the  water's  edge. 
It  was  thronged  from  top  to  bottom  with  bathers.  Some, 
having  completed  their  ablutions,  were  coming  up,  while 
others  were  hurrying  down  to  plunge  into  the  sacred  stream. 
At  our  feet  flowed  the  tranquil  river.  It  must  be  nearly 
half  a  mile  wide  at  this  point.  The  water  is  far  from  being 
clear  and  reminded  us  of  the  muddy  Missouri.  Slowly  we 
made  our  way  down  to  the  water's  edge  where  we  entered 
a  small  boat,  and  slowly  floating  down  the  river  obtained 
the  best  possible  view  of  the  ghats,  of  the  bathers,  and  of 
the  temple-crowned  shore. 

We  now  had  before  us  a  sight  that  once  seen  cannot  be 
forgotten.     Thousands  of  men  and  women,  boys  and  girls 


OFFERING    TO    THE    RIVER.  399 

thronged  the  stone  steps  and  stood  in  the  water  bathing  and 
offering  up  their  pra}'ers.  Hundreds  of  bouquets  made  of 
beautiful  flowers  were  laid  upon  the  water  as  offerings  to  the 
divine  spirit  of  the  river.  The  morning  air  was  crisp  and 
cold,  and  we  found  our  heavy  overcoats  and  shawls  none 
too  warm  for  comfort.  But  the  pilgrims  heeded  not  the 
chilly  water  or  the  cold  air.  Into  the  stream  they  plunged, 
dipped  up  the  water  with  their  hands,  drank,  and  poured 
some  of  it  back  again  into  the  stream  as  they  muttered  their 
pra)'ers.  Arnold,  who  saw  the  same  sight  witnessed  b)' 
ourselves,  has  this  to  say  of  it:  "  Some  of  the  pilgrims  are 
old  and  feeble,  weary  with  the  long  journey  of  life,  emaci- 
ated by  maladies,  saddened  from  losses  and  troubles;  and 
the  morning  air  blows  sharp,  the  river  waves  run  chilly. 
Yet  there  they  stand,  breast  deep  in  the  cold  river,  with 
dripping  garments  clinging  to  their  aged  limbs,  visibly 
shuddering  under  the  shock  of  the  water,  and  their  lips  blue 
and  quivering  while  they  eagerly  mutter  their  prayers 
None  of  them  hesitate;  into  the  Ganges  they  plunge  upon 
arrival,  ill  or  well,  robust  or  sickly;  and  ladle  the  water  up 
with  dark,  trembling  hands,  repeating  the  names  of  their 
gods,  and  softly  mentioning  the  sins  they  would  expiate, 
and  the  beloved  souls  they  plead  for." 

The  entire  ceremony  of  making  an  offering  to  the  river, 
of  bathing  and  plunging  beneath  its  waves,  and  of  praying 
occupies  from  a  half  to  a  full  hour.  The  water  is  dipped  up 
with  the  hands  and  then  allowed  to  drip  through  the  fingers 
while  the  worshiper  repeats  the  name  of  his  god,  ''Ram, 
Ram,  Ram,  Ram''  over  and  over  again,  giving  a  striking  il- 
lustration of  the  "vain  repetitions  of  the  heathen."  The 
hands  are  then  placed  palms  together  and  carried  to  the 
forehead  while  the  worshiper  continues  repeating  the  name 
ot  his  god.     I  observed  one  of  the  pilgrims  who  performed 


400  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

this  ceremony  of  dipping  of  the  water  seven  times  and  then 
plunged  himself  beneath  the  waves  as  many  times  more. 
So  intent  arc  the  bathers  and  worshipers  upon  their  duties 
that  they  do  not  even  cast  a  glance  at  the  strangers  in  the 
boat  who  are  curiously  watching  them.  No  stronger  evi- 
dence of  their  earnestness  and  zeal  and  strong  faith  in  the 
sacred  stream  could  be  given  than  their  absolute  oblivious- 
ness of  their  surroundings. 

After  the  bathing  and  praying  is  completed,  the  soiled 
garments  of  the  pilgrim  are  washed.  As  he  stands  on  the 
lower  stone  step  the  clothing  is  dipped  into  the  water  and 
then  pounded  on  the  stone  until  it  is  cleansed.  The  bather 
then  puts  on  his  garments,  damp  and  wet  as  they  are,  and 
goes  his  way  to  visit  the  various  temples,  bows  down  before 
the  gods  made  with  men's  hands  and  makes  to  the  idols 
he  worships  an  offering  commensurate  with  his  wealth. 
He  is  not  content  with  a  visit  to  half  a  dozen  temples,  but 
scores  of  them  are  visited  in  a  single  day,  and  the  wealthy 
are  known  to  distribute  hundreds  of  dollars  in  one  round 
among  the  temples.  Whatever  else  the  Hindu  may  neg- 
lect, he  does  not  fail  to  give  to  the  support  of  his  idol  wor- 
ship. 

And  so  we  floated  down  the  river,  passing  ghat  after 
ghat,  with  the  thousands  of  bathers  thronging  the  great 
stone  stairways  or  standing  in  the  water,  only  their  bronzed 
shoulders  and  dark  faces  being  visible.  Some  of  them  were 
so  close  to  us  that  we  might  almost  have  touched  them  as 
we  passed,  but  they  gave  no  sign,  by  look  or  gesture,  that 
we  were  even  noticed.  It  was  a  strange,  sad  sight,  which, 
to  be  fully  appreciated  in  all  its  force,  must  be  seen,  for  it 
cannot  be  fully  described.  We  visited  the  place  twice  on 
two  different  days,  floating  down  and  rowing  up  the  stream 
for  miles,  and  yet  we  felt  that  we  were  unable  to  take  in  the 


■ri 
■-\ 

< 
y. 


PURDAH    WOMEN.  403 

whole  situation.  In  those  two  forenoons  we  saw  enough 
strange  sights,  if  related  in  detail,  to  till  a  volume.  We  can 
give  but  a  brief  sketch  here. 

Yonder  is  a  mother  among  the  j)ilgrims,  plunging  her 
naked  babe  into  the  dark,  chilly  water.  The  little  fellow 
struggles  and  \-ells  lustih-,  but  down  he  goes  and  comes  up 
struggling,  for  the  water  has  filled  his  wide-open  mouth. 
But  struggle  as  he  will  and  cr\'  as  he  ma\',  he  must  take  his 
enforced  bath,  and  time  and  again  the  little  bronze  figure 
goes  down  and  disappears  under  the  water.  Should  he  live 
to  manhood  this  unwilling  bath  in  the  Ganges  will  be  held 
as  the  one  great  meritorious  action  of  his  life,  and  will  cover 
a  multitude  of  sins. 

Here  is  an  old  man,  bent  with  the  heavy  burden  of 
many,  many  years.  His  friends  are  tenderly  helping  him 
down  into  the  water.  His  naked  body  is  so  emaciated  by 
disease  and  worn  by  age  that  he  is  but  a  mere  skeleton,  a 
tottering  frame  of  skin  and  bones.  But  in  his  dim,  faded 
eye  there  burns  the  fire  of  an  enthusiast.  At  last  the  one 
great  desire  of  his  life  is  to  be  realized.  He  has  reached 
the  goal  of  all  his  earthly  hopes,  and  is  permitted  not  only 
to  gaze  upon  the  Ganges,  but  to  bathe  his  worn-out  body  in 
its  sacred  tide.  No  wonder  his  e\-es  sparkle  and  his  wrink- 
led face  lights  up  with  joy.  For  him  all  that  now  remains 
is  but  to  bathe  and  die  and  enter  Swarza.* 

At  one  of  the  ghats,  called  the  Dasashwamedh.  a  num- 
ber of  higher  class  people  are  bathing,  wives  and  mothers 
of  the  wealthv,  for  wealth  is  not  without  its  distinctions 
even  in  India.  Some  of  them  are  "purdah  women,"  who 
would  never  dream  of  laying  aside  their  veils,  or  stepping 
from  behind  their  sheltering  curtains.     In  their  homes  even 


*  The  Hindu  place  of  rest  and  peace  fur  tfie  good.    It  is  supposed  by  some  to  be  lo- 
cated in  the  Snow  Mountains  of  tiie  Himalayan  range,  north  of  India. 


404  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

the  windows  of  their  apartments,  which  never  face  the 
streets,  are  closely  screened  day  and  night  lest  e^es  other 
than  their  own  husband's  might  fall  upon  their  faces.  No 
greater  shame  could  be  brought  upon  one  of  these  women 
than  to  compel  her  to  appear  unveiled  on  the  streets.  It 
would  exceed  an  hundredfold  the  shame  of  the  harlot,  for 
here  the  calling  of  the  harlot  is  made  semi-respectable. 
But  with  the  most  implicit  faith  in  the  sanctity  of  a  pilgrim- 
age to  the  holy  city,  and  of  the  sacred  character  of  the 
Ganges,  they  lay  aside  their  heavy  veils  and  folds  of  silken 
cloth,  and  with  thin,  cotton  gowns,  which  but  scantily  cover 
their  bodies,  they  unflinchingly  go  down  into  the  river  and 
bathe  as  common  mortals. 

If  further  proof  of  the  childlike  simplicity  of  this 
brown-skinned  multitude  of  bathers  is  needed,  it  may  be 
found  in  their  implicit  belief  in  the  following  supposed  mir- 
acle: At  the  Ras  Sahib  Ghat  is  a  huge  recumbent  image  of 
the  god  Bhima.  It  reclines  on  the  outer  edge  of  the  giant 
stairway,  and  in  the  absence  of  data  or  of  an  opportunity  to 
measure,  we  should  say  it  is  at  least  forty  feet  long.  Our 
guide  tells  us,  in  a  tone  that  carries  with  it  the  conviction 
that  he  believes  what  he  says,  that  the  Ganges  rises  high 
enough  each  year  to  wash  the  image  away,  and  that  the  god 
miraculously  restores  it  as  often  as  it  is  removed.  We 
found,  upon  careful  examination,  that  the  statement  of  the 
guide  is  held  as  a  common  faith  by  the  Brahman  priest  and 
by  the  people  generally.  The  old  image  appears  to  be 
crumbling  away  and  is  in  sad  need  of  repairs,  but  this  slight 
fact  makes  no  difference  in  the  faith  of  the  Hindu.  To  him 
the  image  is  washed  away  and  restored  annually. 

The  Someshwar  Ghat,  or  stairway,  dedicated  to  the  god 
of  the  moon,  is  of  special  interest  to  us  because  here  every 
kind  of  disease  that  the  human  body  is  heir  to  is  supposed 


SO-CALLED    FAITH-HEALIXG.  4O5 

to  be  healed.  There  are  special  shrines  and  bathing  places 
for  special  diseases,  such  as  fevers,  dysentery,  cholera, 
smallpox,  swollen  hands  and  feet,  and  scores  of  other  ills, 
but  at  the  bathing  place  of  the  *'Lord  of  the  Moon,"  the 
bather  believes  he  may  be  healed  of  all  diseases.  Like  the 
Grotto  of  Lourdes  in  France,  it  is  crowded  with  the  sick 
and  afflicted  all  the  day  long.  They  come  to  be  healed, 
strong  in  their  belief  in  the  efficac\-  of  the  waters.  Many 
receive  the  help  they  come  for,  but  the  masses  go  away  un- 
benefited.  Notwithstanding  the  failures  are  innumerable 
and  the  real  cases  of  healing  are  few,  the  place  loses  noth- 
ing of  its  reputation.  Year  after  year  the  people  flock  here 
by  the  thousand,  hoping  against  hope,  and  believing  against 
evidence  in  the  healing  power  of  the  water  of  the  Ganges  at 
this  one  particular  spot. 

As  already  intimated,  some  receive  help.  As  at 
Lourdes  —  and  we  say  it  with  all  due  respect — as  at  many  of 
the  so-called  faith-healing  establishments  at  home  and 
abroad,  some,  under  strong  mental  excitement,  produced  by 
their  surroundings  and  their  religious  beliefs,  are  benefited; 
and  this  is  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  well-known  powerful 
influence  of  the  mind  upon  the  body.  And  this  is  wrong- 
ly attributed  to  supernatural  power.  We  believe  in  Bible 
faith-healing,  —  the  healing  that  comes  in  answer  to  prayer 
when  the  will  is  wholl)'  and  unreservedly  given  up  to  God, 
and  when  God's  own  perscribed  means  are  used.  But  we 
raise  our  voice  in  earnest  protest  against  the  frauds  per- 
petrated upon  the  ignorant  by  the  Brahmans  at  Benares, 
the  priests  at  Lourdes,  and  the  so-called  Christian  Scien- 
tists at  home.  The}-  are  not  of  God  and  obey  not  the 
Gospel  of  Christ. 

Our  boat  now  approaches  a  part  of  the  great  bathing 
ground    from    which    wreaths    of    blue    smoke    arise    and. 


406  OIRDLIXG    THE    GLOBE. 

forniin<j  into  thin,  ncec\-  clouds,  float  away  down  the  river 
on  the  mornin<^  air.  It  is  the  burniiiL;-  ghat,  or  place 
where  the  dead  are  cremated.  At  a  word  from  our  guide 
the  boat  is  anchored  near  the  shore,  and  we  become 
interested  spectators  of  the  strange  scene.  The  sellers 
of  the  "  death  wood "  carry  bundle  after  bundle  of  the 
prepared  fuel  down  to  where  the  funeral  pyres  are  to  be 
built.  One  p>re  from  which  the  blue  smoke  goes  up  is 
full  ablaze,  and  the  shape  of  a  silent  form  is  visible  amidst 
the  flames.  At  another  the  embers  are  smouldering,  and 
the  white,  calcined  bones  are  visible  in  the  ashes.  At 
still  another  the  "burners  of  the  dead"  are  searching  care- 
fully among  the  ashes  for  treasures.  They  are  looking  for 
melted  silver  and  gold,  for  but  yesterday  the  body  of  a 
wealthy  Hindu  woman  was  burned  and  the  jewels  she 
had  worn  all  her  life  were  committed  to  the  flames  with 
her  poor  bod}',  now  no  longer  in  need  of  the  tinsel  of 
earthly  ornament.  On  the  shore,  within  easy  reach,  is  a 
figure  wrapped  in  a  white  cloth,  from  which  only  the 
cold,  brown,  bare  feet  protrude,  touching  the  outer  edge 
of  the  stream.  The  funeral  pyre  is  being  arranged  after 
the  manner  already  described.  The  wood  is  piled  up,  the 
body  is  laid  upon  the  pyre,  the  torch  is  applied,  and  the 
smoke  darkens  the  air.  While  we  watch  and  wait,  another 
and  another  body  is  brought  down  to  the  water  side,  and 
the  burners  of  the  dead  are  kept  busy  at  their  task;  for 
the  nex^t  greatest  good  after  bathing  in  tlie  sacred  stream, 
is  to  be  burned  on  its  banks  and  to  have  one's  ashes  car- 
ried down  to  the  sea  on  its  tide. 

Two  bodies  are  brought  from  the  State  Prison,  and 
pyres  erected  for  their  burning.  No  matter  what  their 
sins  and  crimes  may  have  been  in  life,  they  are  now,  ac- 
cording to  common  belief,   to   be  purified  by  the    side    of 


FILIAL    LOVE.  4O7 

the  Ganges.  True,  their  bodies  are  handled  roughly,  and 
after  being  dipped  in  the  water,  even  the  thin  cotton 
cloth  is  removed,  but  they  are  accorded  honorable  cre- 
mation beside  the  flowing  tide  of  the  river.  And  so  we 
watch  the  sad  funeral  rites,  absorbed  in  the  scene  around 
us.  We  hear  no  wail  of  woe  at  the  burning  ghat  of  the 
dead,  for  to-day  the  poor  and  unknown  are  committed 
to  the  flanu's.  Yonder  is  a  monument  raised  to  commem- 
orate the  spot  where  a  broken-hearted  widow  laid  herself 
on  the  funeral  pyre  of  her  dead  husband,  and  was  burned 
to  death.  Such  scenes  are  now  happily  no  more  to  be  wit- 
nessed in  India. 

But  we  must  not  remain  here  longer.  Already  the 
sun's  power  is  being  felt.  Our  boat  is  brought  to  a  landing 
place,  and  we  ascend  the  stairway  amid  the  great  throng 
of  people.  At  the  top  is  a  poor  fellow  who  has  brought 
the  dead  body  of  his  father  a  long  distance,  to  have  it 
burned  on  the  banks  of  the  Ganges.  To  a  Hindu  this  is 
the  highest  mark  of  filial  love  and  affection.  As  a  duty, 
it  stands  before  all  others.  The  son  has  spent  his  all  in 
his  journey,  and  now  begs  for  a  pittance  with  which  to 
buy  the  "  death  wood,"  For  sweet  charity's  sake  his  need 
is  supplied,  and  he  goes  his  way  muttering  his  tearful 
thanks. 

We  left  the  bathing  place,  but  the  memory  of  it  went 
Vv'ith  us  and  it  clings  to  us  still.  To  us  the  sight  of  this 
vast  multitude  of  rich  and  poor,  old  and  young,  men  and 
women,  the  weak  and  the  strong,  bathing  in  the  Ganges, 
burning  their  dead  on  its  shore,  bowing  before  idols  and 
shrines,  and  dragging  their  enfeebled  bodies  to  its  sacred 
waters,  hoping  to  be  healed,  was  inexpressibly  sad.  Ob- 
livious of  all  around  them,  save  the  duty  of  worship,  they 
seemed  so  earnest  and  so  zealous  in  doing  what  they  be- 


408  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

lieved  to  be  necessary  to  obtain  the  forgiveness  of  their 
sins  that  we  could  not  for  a  single  moment  doubt  their 
sincerity.  They  believed  fully  and  unreservedly  in  what 
they  were  doing.  It  was  the  action  of  a  blind,  unreasoning 
faith.  We  returned  to  our  tents  depressed  in  spirit  and 
sad  at  heart.  We  had  seen  the  impregnabilit}'  of  Hindu- 
ism. Its  strength  lies  in  the  ignorance  and  superstition 
of  the  common  people. 

Two  thoughts  were  deeply  impressed  upon  us  b)'  what 
we  had  seen.  First,  How  can  these  people  be  freed  from 
error's  chain  and  led  away  from  their  terrible  idolatry? 
Second,  How  much  greater  sacrifice  the  Hindus  seem  will- 
ing to  make  in  serving  their  false  gods  than  we,  as  Chris- 
tians, seem  w  illing  to  make  in  the  service  of  our  true  God! 

The  answer  to  the  first  question,  it  seems  to  us,  rests 
as  a  burden  upon  the  church.  Give  them  the  Gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  educate  them,  not  o\"er-much,  but  enough 
to  remove  ignorance  and  superstition.  This  is  the  only 
way  to  save  them,  and  this  is  essentially  the  work  of  the 
church.  Individuals  are  to  go,  but  they  must  be  sent  and 
the  church  must  do  the  sending. 

As  to  the  second  thought,  it  rests  as  a  burning  shame 
upon  every  professing  Christian  who  is  not  willing  to  give 
up  all  the  world  for  the  sake  of  Christ. 

If,  after  visiting  Benares,  you  were  asked  to  describe 
the  city  in  a  few  words,  you  would  say,  "  Temples  and 
idols  everywhere,"  and  your  answer  would  be  true  to  the 
situation.  India  is  preeminently  the  land  of  idols  and 
Benares  is  the  very  heart  and  centre  of  the  vast  system 
of  Hindu  idol  worship.  As  you  walk  about  the  city  \'Ou 
see  temples  and  idols,  and  idols  and  temples,  until  you 
become  satiated  with  the  sight  and  are  glad  to  get  away 
from  it  all. 


BLESSING    THE    IDOL.  4O9 

You  leave  the  temples  and  wander  aimlessly  about  the 
streets  of  the  old  city  and  }ou  see  row  after  rov*^  of  shops 
or  stores  where  idols  of  all  kinds  and  sorts  are  offered 
for  sale,  and  you  are  met  by  peddler  after  peddler  with 
their  baskets  full  of  little  images,  inviting  you  to  inspect 
and  buy.  You  will  see  the  potter  forming  the  shapeless 
mass  of  clay  into  a  hideous  image  of  some  one  of  the 
most  popular  gods;  the  carpenter  sawing  and  cutting 
and  carving  on  some  great  idol,  presently  to  be  set  up  and 
worshiped  in  one  of  the  temples;  the  sculptor  shaping 
marble  figures  with  mallet  and  chisel  for  household  gods; 
the  brass  worker  pouring  molten  metal  into  the  moulds, 
to  be  taken  out,  when  cold,  in  the  form  of  little  gods 
which  the  natives  buy  for  a  few  pennies  each;  and  the 
goldsmith,  skilled  in  his  art,  turning  the  precious  metals 
into  idols  for  the  rich;  and  you  are  again  ready  to  say, 
"  Idols,  idols,  everywhere." 

But  the  images,  as  they  come  from  the  hand  of  the 
maker,  are  nothing  more  than  common  clay,  wood,  or  met- 
al. Before  they  are  worshiped  they  must  be  blessed  by  the 
Brahman  priest.  This  is  known  as  the  life-giving  cere- 
mony and  is  considered  a  very  solemn  affair.  After  the 
idol  has  received  at  the  hands  of  the  priest  the  supposed 
life  of  the  god  it  was  made  to  represent,  it  becomes  holy  to 
the  idol-worshiper  and  must  never  be  approached  without 
due  form  and  ceremony.  By  this  ceremony  it  becomes  an 
object  of  great  reverence.  If,  after  the  idol  has  been 
blessed  by  the  priest,  it  should  be  touched  by  an  unclean 
person  it  can  no  longer  be  worshiped  but  must  be  replaced 
by  another. 

It  has  been  said  that  England  not  only  sends  missiona- 
ries to  India  but  many  idols  as  well.  It  is  also  stated  that 
the  brass  founders  at  Birmingham  make  a  specialty  of  man- 


410  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

ufacturing  idols.  Poole,  in  referring  to  these  charges,  says: 
"I  have  heard  it  whispered  in  more  than  one  quarter  that 
many  of  the  idols  that  are  worshiped  in  India  are  manufac- 
tured in  England;  but  I  would  fain  believe  that  the  report  is 
not  correct,  for  I  do  not  like  to  think  ill  of  my  countr\'- 
men."  Another  reliable  author  says,  "I  strongly  suspect 
that  many  of  the  idols  offered  for  sale  are  of  English  manu- 
facture, for  it  is  currently  rei:)orted  that  Birmingham  ex- 
ports an  immensely  large  proportion  of  the  idols  of  Hindu- 
stan, and  finds  them  a  profitable  speculation." 

Like  Poole  we  were  not  disposed  to  credit  this  report 
about  his  countrymen;  we  are  not  quick  to  accept  an  evil 
report  and  it  was  hard  for  us  to  believe  such  a  report  about 
any  people.  If  India  will  have  idols  to  worship,  surely  no 
nation  calling  itself  Christian  should  supply  the  demand. 
But  later  we  had  the  evidence  of  a  witness  whom  we  could 
not  doubt,  and  with  shame  it  must  be  said  that  the  report  is 
too  true.  Miss  Brittan,  now  of  Yokohama,  Japan,  who 
spent  twenty  years  as  a  missionary  in  India,  gave  us  the  fol- 
lowing statement.  She  visited  Birmingham,  England,  some 
years  ago  with  friends  and  relatives.  One  of  these  held  a 
prominent  position  in  one  of  the  brass  foundries,  and  with 
him  she  visited  the  works.  He  took  her  into  one  of  the 
finishing  rooms,  where,  using  her  own  language,  "  I  saw 
thousands  and  thousands  of  brass  images  of  Krishna,  Ga- 
nesa,  Vishnu,  Parvatti  and  other  Hindu  idols.  These  were 
being  finished  and  packed  ready  for  shipment  to  India." 

The  fact  set  forth  in  the  preceding  paragraph  is  a  most 
humiliating  one,  but  it  is  only  another  evidence  that  men 
can  always  be  found  to  do  anything  for  money.  The  inor- 
dinate thirst  for  gold  is  the  curse  of  the  world  to-day.  Aft- 
er all  it  is  only  fitting  that  the  Christian  (?)  nation  which 
forced  opium  upon  the  Chinese  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 


z 
a 


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412  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

against  the  most  earnest  appeals  and  protests  of  the  heath- 
en emperor,  who  sought  to  save  his  people  from  the  ter- 
rible effects  of  the  deadly  drug,  should  manufacture  and 
ship  idols  to  India.  But  England  is  not  the  only  trans- 
gressor. Of  like  character  is  the  shipping  of  rum  and 
whiskey  into  the  newly-opened  territory  of  Africa.  It  is  a 
startling  commentary  upon  the  principles  and  morals  of  the 
age  in  which  we  live  when  a  heathen  chief  protests  against 
the  distillers  and  whiske}-sellers  of  the  United  States  ship- 
ping their  poison  into  his  country  to  degrade  his  people. 

The  sins  of  nations  are  as  surely  to  be  punished  as  are 
the  sins  of  individuals.  A  people  may  sacrifice  the  eternal 
principles  of  right  for  accidental  association  and  for  present 
gain;  the  strong  may,  for  a  time,  triumph  over  the  weak; 
wrong  may  rule  for  a  season,  but  in  the  end  sin  must  be  ex- 
piated. England  is  filling  for  herself  a  vial  of  wrath  which 
will  one  day  burst  and  bring  upon  her  a  swift  and  terrible 
retribution,  and  our  own  country  is  condoning  sin  and  re- 
ceiving stores  of  gold  from  the  whiskey  traffic,  bedewed 
with  the  tears  of  widows  and  orphans,  and  red  with  the 
blood  of  murder.  But  the  day  of  reckoning  is  sure  to 
come.  Surely  we  have  not  forgotten  the  curse  and  blight 
that  fell  upon  us  because  of  the  national  sin  of  human  slav- 
ery. The  dark  blot  was  not  obliterated  until  it  had  been 
deluged  with  the  best  blood  of  our  people.  It  should  be 
remembered  that  "righteousness  exalteth  a  nation;  but  sin 
is  a  reproach  to  any  people."  National  sins  will  not  go  un- 
punished. The  mills  of  the  gods  grind  slowly  but  they 
grind  exceedingly  fine. 

Our  readers  will  pardon  this  digression.  The  case  is 
one  that  cannot  be  dismissed  lightly. 

We  continued  our  walks  about  the  city  until  we  grew 
weary  of  temples  and  idols  and,  lest  our  readers  experience 


THE    GOLDEN    TEMPLE.  413 

the  same  condition,  we  limit  our  description  to  several  of 
the  numerous  places  visited. 

The  "golden  temple,"  dedicated  to  the  poison  god,  is 
so  called  because  one  of  its  domes  is  gilded  with  gold. 
The  interior  presented  what  seemed  to  us  to  be  only  a  very 
poorly-arranged  cow-stable.  It  was  reeking  with  filth,  for  a 
number  of  sacred  oxen  and  cows  were  stalled  in  the  main 
room,  where  we  could  not  have  gone  had  we  desired  to  do 
so,  lest  our  feet  should  desecrate  the  holy  pavement.  As  it 
was  we  not  only  had  no  desire  to  tread  upon  the  filth,  but 
were  glad  to  escape  from  the  stench  of  the  place  which  was 
simply  overpowering  to  our  untrained  olfactory  nerves. 
The  Brahmans,  we  are  told,  enjo)'  the  odor  and  declare  it 
to  be  the  sweetest  fragrance.  During  our  hasty  visit  to  the 
temple  we  observed  that  it  was  crowded  with  idols  on  every 
side.  The  cows  and  the  idols  and  the  priests  had  the  place 
to  themselves,  and  we  were  glad  to  leave  them  in  posses- 
sion. 

Near  the  golden  temple  is  the  famous  Gja/i  Kiip,  or 
well  of  knowledge,  in  which  every  orthodox  Hindu  believes 
that  the  god  of  Shiva  dwells.  The  pavement  surrounding 
the  well  is  by  no  means  pleasant,  but  the  well  itself  is  simp- 
ly a  fetid  pool,  emitting  a  fearful  smell,  caused  by  the  de- 
caying flowers  that  are  thrown  into  it  by  worshipers.  There 
is  a  cloth  resting  upon  a  grating  spread  over  the  mouth  of 
the  well,  but  there  are  several  large  rents  in  the  cloth,  and 
the  flowers  are  continually  dropping  through  into  the  water. 
The  stench  and  the  filth  drove  us  away,  and  we  look  to 
another  for  a  description:  "The  worshipers  also  throw  water 
into  the  well,  and  as  they  are  not  careful  how  they  throw  it, 
the  pavement  is  one  vast  puddle  and  the  clothing  of  their 
fell'ow-votaries  is  in  a  dripping  state.  The  platform  is 
thronged  by  men  and  women,  and  the  horrible  din  of  gongs 


414  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

and  voices  deafens  the  visitor.  Crowds  of  fresh  pil<^rims 
are  constantly  arri\  in_[^,  and  as  numbers  of  cows  arc  mixed 
up  in  the  throng,  and  must  be  treated  with  great  considera- 
tion, the  jostling  is  something  terrific."  And  all  this  be- 
cause it  is  handed  down  as  a  tradition,  that  at  one  time  the 
golden  temple  was  destroyed  and  a  priest,  in  order  to  save 
the  idol,  threw  it  into  this  well.  Since  then  it  has  been  con- 
sidered as  one  among  the  most  sacred  places  in  Benares. 

Not  far  from  the  well  is  a  temple,  to  which  we  can  re- 
fer only  brief!}',  without  entering  into  details.  The  carvings 
in  stone  are  so  vulgarly  indecent  that  even  the  slightest 
reference  to  them  is  questionable.  Oh  the  depth  of  the 
\ileness  and  depravity  to  which  idolatr\'  can  sink  men  made 
in  the  likeness  and  image  of  God!  And  vet  there  are  men 
who  talk  about  the  good  to  be  found  in  this  great  system  of 
idolatr}'.  At  the  Congress  of  Religions,  held  in  Chicago, 
these  base  features  of  Hinduism  were  never  even  hinted  at. 
It  is  not  fair  to  condemn  any  system  of  morals,  ethics  or  re- 
ligion by  what  some  of  its  followers  may  do,  but  we  have  a 
perfect  right  to  judge  it  by  its  own  teachings.  And  when 
the  temples  of  worship  become  brothels,  and  vice  and  sin 
are  called  virtues,  we  have  a  right  to  condemn  the  entire 
system. 

The  temple  of  Durga  is  known  as  the  monkey  temple 
because  a  large  number  of  these  mischievous  animals  are 
quartered  and  fed  in  the  building.  The  sacred  character  of 
the  monkeys  gives  them  special  favor  in  the  sight  of  the 
Hindus.  Durga  is  the  terrible  form  of  the  wife  of  Shiva, 
and  as  she  is  said  to  delight  in  blood,  a  goat  is  occasionally 
sacrificed  before  the  idol.  We  noticed  the  blood  of  the  sac- 
rifice on  the  platform  before  the  shrine  of  the  idol.  As  we 
approached  the  place,  about  two  dozen  monkeys  came 
trooping  out  to  meet  us.     At  the;  same  time  the  priest  came 


HOLY    MAN    OF    BENARES. 


415 


with  a  large  plate  full  of  food  for  the  animals,  which  he  dis- 
tributed among  the  visitors,  who  were  expected  to  feed  the 
animals  and  then  pay  for  the  privilege.     They  were  fed  and 


SWAMI    BHASKARA    NAUD   SARASWATI. 
Holy  Man  of  Ben.^res. 


amused  the  visitors  for  some  time  with  their  antics.  The 
Hindus  actually  worship  these  chattering,  antic-loving  crea- 
tures, regarding  them  as  living  gods  and  goddesses.  Sat- 
urday is  a  day  especialh'  set  apart  for  the  worship  of  the 
monkeys.     Aside  from  the  animals,  nothing  worthy  of  note 


4l6  GIKDI.ING    THE    GI  OBE. 

was   seen,  save  the  hideous    idol    daubed   with    red   ochre, 
seated  in  a  shrine  within  the  portals  of  the  temple. 

Before  leaving  Benares  we  called  upon  Sri  Swami 
Bhaskara  Naud  Saraswati,  the  famous  ascetic,  known  as  the 
"  Holy  Man  of  Benares."  He  enjoys  a  home  with  a  beauti- 
ful garden,  the  gift  of  a  wealthy  rajah.  When  we  entered 
the  garden  his  attendant  wrapped  a  white  cloth  about  his 
loins.  This  because  of  the  presence  of  ladies;  otherwise  he 
wears  no  clothing.  He  met  us  with  a  beaming  face  and  a 
happy  smile,  and  spoke  of  the  fact  that  he  had  been  invited 
to  visit  Chicago  in  1893.  He  is  already  worshiped  by 
thousands  in  India  and  has  received  a  place  among  the  gods 
of  the  country.  A  beautiful  marble  image  of  the  Swami 
stands  in  the  garden,  which  he  took  great  pleasure  in  show- 
ing us.  He  has  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  his  fellow-coun- 
trymen come  to  worship  it.  He  presented  us  copies  of  his 
books  printed  in  Sanscrit,  with  a  pamphlet  containing  a 
photograph  of  himself  which  is  here  reproduced.  Present- 
ing us  with  garlands  of  flowers,  he  raised  his  hands  and 
called  the  blessings  of  the  Creator  upon  us,  and  then  dis- 
missed us.  I  observe  that  it  is  better  to  have  blessing  than 
cursing  from  a  man.  As  we  turned  to  leave  our  Hindu 
guide  knelt  down  and  kissed  the  feet  of  the  Swami.  He 
believes  him  to  be  a  part  of  divinity  and  worships  him.  On 
the  way  back  to  Benares  we  met  a  great  train  of  elephants 
and  attendants.  In  state  the  rajah's  wife  was  on  her  way 
to  pay  her  respects  to  the  "  Holy  Man  of  Benares," 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


From  the  City  of  Idols  to  the  City  of  Palaces  —  The  Man- Eating  Ti- 
gers of  Bengal — RicJi  Farn/ing  Lands—  India  in  Competitioji  with 
the  United  States  in  Raising  Wheat —  The  hidigo  Plant — Process 
of  Matiufacturing  the  Dye  —  Opiwn  Growing — Opinvi  Introduced 
into  China  by  the  English  —  The  Opiwn  W'ar  —  England's  Great- 
est National  Sin  —  Calcutta,  "  City  of  Palaces" — Asiatic  Cholera 
—  The  Black  Hole  of  Calcutta. 

The  journey  from  Benares,  the  City  of  Idols,  to  Calcut- 
ta, the  City  of  Palaces,  is  made  in  about  seventeen  hours,— 
this  by  the  fast  express  train  running  at  the  average  rate  of 
thirty  miles  an  hour  including  stoppages.  The  cars  on  the 
Indian  railways  are  divided  into  compartments  with  seats 
facing  each  other  on  both  sides  of  the  coach.  The  com- 
partments arc  entered  from  both  ends  of  the  car,  and  are 
quite  comfortable.  All  first  and  second  class  travelers  in 
India  carry  with  them  a  supph'  of  bedclothes,  and  with  pil- 
lows and  comforts  we  changed  our  compartment  into  a  very 
good  sleeping  room,  fully  as  comfortable  as  the  sleeping- 
cars  at  home.  By  notifying  the  agent  in  time,  a  party  of 
four  or  five  may  have  a  compartment  reserved  for  them,  and 
thus  have  a  pleasant  time  together.  By  the  kindness  of  the 
agent  at  Benares,  an  'entire  section  was  placed  at  the  dis- 
posal of  our  little  party.  We  had  purchased  second  class 
tickets,  but  we  were  shown  into  a  first  class  coach.  The  on- 
1\-  appreciable  difference  between  the  two  is  in  the  name, 
not  in  the  comfort.  Some  people  do  not  like  to  be  placed 
in   the    second  class.     They  would  rather  pay   double   the 

money  for  the  name  of  being  ranked  first,  and  they  do  it. 

(417) 


4l8  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

The  rate  of  fare  charj^^ed  on  the  Indian  railways  is  much 
below  that  of  Europe  and  America.  Second  class  tickets 
are  sold  at  a  rate  of  about  one  cent  a  mile,  while  first  class 
cost  nearly  double  as  much.  The  third  class  rate  is  very 
low  and  the  cars  of  this  class  are  usually  crowded  with  na- 
tive passengers,  who  find  the  very  small  sum  charged  for 
tickets  an  incentive  to  make  short  journeys. 

Good  eating  houses  are  to  be  found  at  all  the  principal 
railway  stations,  where  an  excellent  meal,  composed  of 
roasted  mutton  (goat  meat),  rice  and  curry,  pudding  and 
fruit  may  be  had  for  the  nominal  sum  of  one  rupee,  about 
twenty-eight  cents  in  our  money.  Living  is  cheap  in  India. 
We  found  some  vcr)-  good  hotels  at  say  eighty  cents  per 
day  for  lodging  and  board.  The  same  class  of  accommoda- 
tions at  home  would  cost  from  two  to  three  dollars  a  day. 

Leaving  the  Northern  Provinces,  we  entered  that  por- 
tion of  the  great  Indian  Peninsula  known  as  Bengal.  Here, 
in  the  dense  jungles  of  wild,  tropical  vegetation,  roams  the 
royal  Bengal  tiger,  a  terror  to  both  man  and  beast.  Even 
the  king  of  the  jungle,  the  mighty  lion,  fears  to  attack  a 
full-grown  tiger.  We  saw  several  specimens  of  this  fine, 
but  fierce,  savage  animal.  One,  a  recent  capture,  and  a 
reputed  man-eater  was  in  a  public  garden  or  park  at  Madras. 
He  was  said  to  measure  twelve  feet  in  length,  a  statement 
we  did  not  care  to  make  an  attempt  to  verify.  The  huge 
animal  was  restlessly  pacing  to  and  fro  in  his  great  iron 
cage,  casting  occasionally  angry  side  glances  at  us  as  we 
stood  watching  him.  He  was  the  very  embodiment  of 
strength  and  agility,  and  we  could  not  help  but  shudder  at 
the  thought  of  meeting  him  alone  in  his  native  jungle. 
Such  is  the  strength  of  the  full-grown  Bengal  tiger  that  he 
can  carry  off  a  full-grown  bullock  in  his  jaws. 

The  food  of  the  tiger,  when  he  prowls  in  his  own  jun- 


FOOD    OF    THE    TIGER.  419 

gle,  appears  to  be  deer,  antelope  and  the  wild  hog.  When 
these  are  plenty  he  rarely  disturbs  domestic  cattle.  In 
some  places  the  natives  even  regard  him  as  a  kind  of  pro- 
tector, as  he  saves  their  crops  from  destruction  by  the  wild 
animals  upon  which  he  feeds.  But,  as  noted  in  a  former 
chapter,  when  he  once  develops  a  taste  for  human  flesh  and 
blood,  many  a  poor,  defenseless  native  falls  a  prey  to  his 
savage  cruelty.  The  man-eater  is  generally  an  old  beast, 
not  able  to  overtake  and  capture  his  usual  prey.  He  then 
turns  upon  the  natives  and  slaughters  them,  not  only  for 
food,  but  out  of  sheer  cruelty.  "A  single  tiger  is  known  to 
have  killed  one  hundred  and  eight  people  in  the  course  of 
three  years.  Another  killed  an  average  of  about  eighty  per 
annum.  A  third  caused  thirteen  villages  to  be  abandoned, 
and  two  hundred  and  fifty  square  miles  of  land  to  be  thrown 
out  of  cultivation.  A  fourth,  so  late  as  1869,  killed  one 
hundred  and  twenty-seven  people,  and  stopped  a  public 
road  for  many  weeks,  until  the  opportune  arrival  of  an  Eng- 
lish hunter,  who  at  last  killed  him.  Such  cases  are,  of 
course,  exceptional,  and  generally  refer  to  a  period  long 
past,  but  they  explain  and  justify  the  superstitious  awe  with 
which  the  tiger  is  regarded  by  the  natives."*  The  Govern- 
ment pays  a  reward  for  every  tiger  slain.  The  number 
killed  in  a  single  year  was  nearly  sixteen  hundred,  and  the 
money  paid  out  in  rewards  amounted  to  about  twenty  thou- 
sand dollars.  While  so  many  were  killed,  there  were  re- 
ported for  the  year  eight  hundred  and  nineteen  persons  and 
sixteen  thousand  cattle  killed  by  tigers. 

In  these  same  jungles  the  leopard  is  far  more  common 
than  the  tiger,  and  is  at  least  full}'  as  destructive  to  life 
and  property.  Tiger  and  jungle  cats,  wolves,  jackals,  w  ild 
dogs,  striped  hyenas,  bears,   elephants,  the   rhinoceros,  the 

♦Encyclopedia  Britaimica. 


420  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

wild  hof^,  the  wild  ass  and  various  species  of  the  deer  family 
also  abound  in  the  forests  and  jungles  of  eastern  India. 

In  coming  down  from  Benares  to  Calcutta  we  pass 
over  some  fine,  rich  farming  land.  This  is  especially  true  of 
the  great  river  bottoms  which  are  annually  overflowed  dur- 
ing the  monsoon  (rainy  season).  During  the  overflow  the 
land  on  both  shores  is  covered  with  a  thin  coating  of  mud, 
so  that  no  fertilizers  are  needed.  As  the  Nile  overflows 
Egypt  each  year,  enriching  the  soil,  so  the  Indus,  the  Gan- 
ges, the  Brahmaputra,  the  Hooghly  and  other  rivers  of 
India  overflow  and  enrich  the  great  plains  on  their  borders. 
With  abundant  rainfall  the  farmer  is  sure  of  plenty  in  return 
for  his  labor;  but  if  the  rain  comes  not,  then  famine  and 
death  prevail  in  all  the  land. 

According  to  the  census  report  more  than  forty  mil- 
lions of  the  male  adults  of  India  are  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  and  farm  labor.  This  is  equal  to  more  than  two- 
thirds  of  the  entire  male  adult  population  of  the  countr\-. 
It  may  be  said  that  the  people  of  India  are  a  nation  of 
farmers.  . 

On  the  great  river  plains,  two,  and  sometimes  three, 
crops  are  harvested  each  year.  In  the  early  springtime  the 
lower  Bengal  farmer  harvests  his  crop  of  pease,  pulse  and 
oil  seeds.  In  September  the  early  rice  is  harvested,  and  in 
November  and  December  he  is  busy  gathering  in  the  great 
rice  crop  and  the  wheat  harvest.  Of  the  latter  grain  about 
the  same  number  of  acres  are  sown  annuall}-  as  in  the 
United  States,  and  the  average  production  per  acre  for  a 
long  series  of  years  is  thirteen  bushels.  It  ma\'  be  a  matter 
of  interest  to  our  readers  to  know  that  farm  laborers  in 
India  receive  only  from  two  to  four  cents  per  day  for  their 
labor,  and  they  work  from  devv}'  morn  till  starr}'  eve.  The 
ten-hour  a   day    system   is    unknown   among  these    people. 


AGRICULTURAL    COMPETITION.  421 

Their  food  is  a  kind  of  coarse  bean,  known  as  pulse.  It  is 
believed  to  be  the  same  kind  of  food  selected  by  the  young 
Hebrew  prophet  Daniel  for  himself  and  companions  in 
Babylon.  It  is  the  cheapest  food  in  India.  The  poor 
laborer  cannot  afford  the  lu.xur}'  of  rice,  and  the  taste  of 
meat  is  unknown  to  him. 

An  interesting  phase  of  the  agricultural  question  was 
suggested  to  the  mind  by  what  we  saw  while  in  India,  and 
that  was  this:  How  can  our  farmers  at  home  raise  wheat  in 
competition  with  the  cheap  labor  of  India?  They  pay  from 
ten  to  fifteen  dollars  per  month  for  labor,  which  is  fifteen 
hundred  per  cent  more  than  is  paid  in  India.  Their  food 
and  clothing  supplies  cost  them  fully  as  much  more  in  pro- 
portion as  does  labor.  Then,  too,  the  Indian  farmer  has  the 
advantage  in  the  rent,  or  rather  the  tax  which  he  pays  on 
his  land.  Practically,  the  land  belongs  to  the  government. 
It  is  assessed  ever)-  thirty  years,  the  farmer  pays  annually  a 
fixed  sum  for  the  use  of  the  land.  The  rate  for  the  rich 
black  soil  lands  of  Guzerat  is  $I.I0  per  acre.  Less  product- 
ive lands  are  assessed  at  a  lower  rate.  At  home,  in  north- 
ern Illinois,  the  farmer  must  pay,  say  $70.00  per  acre  for  the 
best  improved  farms.  Counting  the  money  worth  six  per 
cent,  this  makes  the  land  cost  him  four  dollars  and  twenty 
cents  per  acre  annually;  to  this  must  be  added  the  taxes, 
and  the  sum  is  raised  to  about  five  dollars  per  acre.  In  oth- 
er words,  our  northern  Illinois  farmer  must  pay  an  annual 
rental  of  from  four  to  five  dollars  per  acre  for  the  use  of 
his  land,  as  against  the  one  dollar  used  by  the  Indian  farmer. 
Of  course  these  conditions  vary  in  different  parts  of  the 
country. 

The  conclusion  is  that  the  Indian  farmer  can  and  does 
raise  wheat  at  much  less  than  one-half  what  it  costs  our 
farmers  at  home  to  produce  it.     As  it  costs  him  less,  he  can 


422  GIRni.IXr.    THE    r.LORE. 

sell  it  for  less  than  uc  can,  and  as  a  result,  when  we  come 
into  competition  with  him,  he  can  easil)'  undersell  us  and 
drive  us  out  of  the  market.  It  will  be  well  for  us  to  con- 
sider these  conditions,  for  at  no  distant  day  in  the  future  we 
shall  have  to  meet  the  Indian  farmer  in  the  markets  of  the 
world. 

Among  other  productions  of  Bengal  is  the  indigo  plant 
from  which  the  indigo  used  in  cheing  is  distilled.  It  is 
grown  in  large  quantities  on  the  alluvial  soil  of  the  river 
bottoms.  The  seed  is  sown  as  the  waters  recede,  and  from 
that  time  until  the  plant  is  harvested  the  farmer  gives  it  but 
little  attention. 

Some  account  of  the  production  of  indigo  dye,  so 
commonly  used  in  all  our  families  at  home,  may  not  be 
uninteresting.  In  a  general  way  it  may  be  said  that  India 
supplies  the  w^orld  with  indigo.  About  ten  million  pounds, 
worth  as  many  dollars,  are  produced  annually.  The  plant, 
as  its  name  indicates,  is  a  native  of  India,  although  it  is 
cultivated  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  The  dye  produced 
in  Bengal  is  the  best  to  be  found  in  the  market. 

When  the  indigo  plant  {^indigo  fern)  has  attained  its 
growth,  the  stems  are  cut  down  and  tied  into  small  bun- 
dles. This  is  done  just  when  the  buds  are  about  to  open, 
as  it  is  thought  that  then  the  leaves  are  fully  charged  with 
coloring  matter.  The  same  stock  produces  two,  and  in 
some  localities  three,  crops  of  stems  and  leaves  each  year. 
The  bundles  are  taken  at  once  to  the  factories  and  are 
thrown  into  large  vats  and  covered  with  warm  water. 
Here  they  remain  until  fermentation  takes  place,  which 
occupies  from  ten  to  fourteen  hours,  depending  upon  the 
temperature.  This  process  releases  the  coloring  matter 
from  the  leaves  and  it  is  held  in  solution  by  the  water. 
When  the  water  assumes  a   fine,   clear,  yellow  color,    it   is 


INDIGO    PLANT.  423 

judged  that  the  leaves  have  given  up  the  indigo.  The 
water  is  then  drawn  off  into  a  series  of  vats  placed  on  a 
lower  level  than  the  first,  and  the  stalks  are  thrown  out 
into  the  sun  to  dry,  after  which  they  are  used  as  fuel  in 
the  furnaces.  The  yellow  liquid  now  undergoes  a  process 
of  violent  agitation.  Natives,  armed  with  long  bamboo 
poles,  lash  it  for  several  hours.  Graduall}-  the  blue  flakes 
separate  from  the  water  and  sink  to  the  bottom.  The  men 
who  lash  the  water  wear  no  clothing  save  a  small  cotton 
cloth  w  rapped  about  the  loins,  and  from  head  to  foot  the\' 
are  as  blue  as  blue  can  be. 

After  the  lashing  has  gone  on  for  three  or  four  hours, 
the  liquid  is  allowed  to  settle,  and  as  the  blue  flakes  sink 
to  the  bottom  of  the  tank,  the  clear  water  is  drawn  off. 
The  mass  of  blue  paste  is  then  taken  out  of  the  tanks,  put 
into  kettles  and  boiled  for  three  hours,  and  is  then  filtered 
through  a  thick  cloth.  The  paste  is  then  dried  under 
pressure,  cut  into  square  cakes,  weighing  about  eight  ounces 
each,  upon  which  is  stamped  the  name  of  the  factory. 
The  cakes  are  then  laid  aw'ay  in  the  shade  to  dry,  after 
which  they  are  packed  into  boxes  ready  for  shipment. 
The  entire  process  of  making  indigo  takes  about  three 
months.  At  one  time  the  manufacture  of  the  dye  was 
very  profitable,  and  large  fortunes  were  made  by  the 
English,  but  for  some  years,  owing  to  over-production  and 
consequent  low  prices,  it  has  not  made  satisfactory  returns. 
As  a  result,  Bengal  and  Behar  are  dotted  with  the  sites 
of  abandoned  indigo  factories.  In  the  Madras  Presidency 
the  business  is  carried  on  entirely  by  the  natives. 

The  opium-producing  poppy  growls  to  perfection  in 
India,  and  the  English  Government  reaps  a  large  annual 
income  from  the  cultivation  and  manufacture  of  this  pow- 
erful and   destructive   drug.     We    have   fully   described  the 


424  GIRDLING    TIIK    GLOBE. 

cultivation  of  the  l)opp\-  and  the  gathering  of  opium  in 
"  The  Seven  Churches  of  Asia,"  pp.  279-81.  The  exporta- 
tion of  opium  from  India  reaches  in  value  the  enormous 
sum  of  seventy-five  million  dollars,  of  which  the  govern- 
ment receives  as  its  share  of  net  profit  not  far  from  forty 
million  dollars.  Nearly  one-half  of  all  the  opium  ex- 
ported goes  to  China  and  the  Straits  Settlements. 

The  cultivation  of  the  poppy  and  the  manufacture  of 
opium  by  the  English  Government  in  India,  and  its  forci- 
ble introduction  into  China,  against  the  earnest  protests 
and  strong  appeals  of  the  heathen  emperor,  forms  one  of 
the  darkest  chapters  in  the  history  of  that  so-called  Chris- 
tian nation.  It  is  only  another  illustration  of  what  the 
greed  for  gold  will  do.  We  referred  to  this  very  briefly 
in  a  former  chapter,  but  the  importance  of  the  subject  de- 
mands further  notice.  Another  consideration  also  induces 
us  to  give  this  matter  further  attention.  The  use  of  opium 
is  constantly  increasing  in  our  own  nation,  and  this  in- 
crease is  alarming  in  the  highest  degree.  Every  neigh- 
borhood, village,  town  and  city  has  its  victims.  Bright 
intellects  are  destroyed,  and  thousands  are  daily  stupefied 
with  the  insidious  drug.  Even  professing  Christians  are 
victims  to  the  mind  and  soul-destroying  opium  habit. 

When  Warren  Hastings  became  the  first  Governor 
General  of  India,  in  1774,  the  opium-yielding  poppy  was 
grown  in  India  onl)-  to  a  very  limited  extent.  The  use 
of  the  drug,  except  for  medicinal  purposes,  was  forbidden 
by  the  religion  as  well  as  the  laws  of  the  countr)'.  Some 
of  the  rulers  even  went  so  far  as  to  inflict  the  death  penalty 
upon  those  who  violated  the  law.  Enough  was  used,  how- 
ever, against  creed  and  law,  to  enable  Hastings  to  see 
that  here  was  an  opportunit}-  to  fill  the  coffers  of  the 
government   with   gold.     He   had   no    thought    of    the   ruin 


OPIUM    HABIT.  425 

and  degradation  that  would  result.  These  people  and  the 
Chinese  are  only  pagans.  Let  them  eat  and  smoke  the 
drug,  and  destroy  themselves.  It  would  bring  gold  into 
the  treasur}-,  and  gold  was  what  was  wanted. 

He  lost  no  time  in  furthering  his  project.  He  stim- 
ulated the  cultivation  of  the  poppy,  furnishing  means 
where  the\'  were  lacking  and  establishing  factories,  so 
that  the  drug  might  be  put  up  in  form  for  popular  use. 
He  established  agencies  for  its  sale,  receiving  large  fees 
for  licenses  and  in  a  few  years  quite  a  revenue  accrued  to 
the  government.  He  sent  two  ship-loads  of  opium  to 
China  and  this  was  given  away  to  the  people,  and  they 
thus  acquired  a  taste  for  the  drug  which  has  been  such  a 
great  curse  to  that  country.  The  next  year  he  sent  two 
more  ship-loads  and  this  was  sold  at  a  low  price.  After 
this,  tlie  price  was  gradually  increased.  The  appetite  for 
opium  was  thus  created  among  the  Chinese  and  then  they 
were  willing  to  pay  a  high  price  for  it.  Results:  the  de- 
struction of  the  moral  and  mental  powers  of  the  Chinese 
who  used  the  drug,  and  more  gold  for  the  English  Govern- 
ment. 

When  Hastings  resigned  in  1785  and  returned  to  Eng- 
land, he  was  arraigned  before  Parliament  for  crimes,  the 
opium  traffic  being  one  of  the  accusations.  He  defended 
himself  and  claimed  great  credit  for  establishing  this  source 
of  revenue.  Later,  the  British  Government  assumed  the 
entire  control  of  India,  and  has  pursued  the  same  plan 
adopted  b\'  Hastings  in  the  production,  manufacture,  and 
sale  of  opium.  The  government  stipulates  the  number  of 
acres  to  be  planted  in  poppies  each  year.  If  there  is  a  sur- 
plus of  opium  one  year,  the  amount  produced  the  next  is 
reduced.     In  this  way  the  price  of  the  drug  is  kept  up. 

The  valley  of  the  Ganges  around   about   Benares    and 


426  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

Patna  is  the  principal  opium-producing  district  in  India. 
At  Patna  there  is  a  large  factor)'  where  three  thousand  per- 
sons arc  emplo}'ed  in  {)reparing  the  drug  for  use.  "Two 
hundred  British  soldiers  keep  constant  guard,  and  the  flag 
of  Great  Britain,  that  flag  which,  the  British  boast,  has 
'braved  the  battle  and  the  breeze  for  a  thousand  years/ 
floats  over  the  establishment,  and  the  manufactured  article, 
which  is  turned  out  in  the  form  of  balls,  has  stamped  upon 
each  ball  the  initials  of  the  Queen  of  England  and  P^mpress 
of  India." 

P^om  an  authority*  on  this  subject  we  learn  that  under 
the  Bengal  system  the  farmers  enter  into  an  agreement  to 
sow  a  certain  number  of  acres  of  land  with  poppy.  No  one 
is  compelled  to  do  this,  but  the  government  always  finds 
plenty  of  willing  cultivators.  An  advance  in  money  is 
made  to  the  farmer  before  he  sows  the  seed  and  settlement, 
in  full,  is  made  when  he  delivers  the  opium  to  government 
agencies.  He  is  compelled  to  deliver  all  he  produces,  and 
is  paid  at  a  fixed  price  according  to  quality.  The  delivery 
of  the  opium  begins  early  in  April,  when  the  farmer  brings 
all  he  has  raised  to  the  local  government  agent,  who  weighs 
and  examines  it  and  settles  accounts.  It  is  then  taken  to 
the  factories  at  Patna  and  Ghazipur,  where  the  final  process 
of  preparing  the  drug  in  balls  for  the  Chinese  market  is 
conducted.  This  takes  until  the  end  of  Jul}',  but  the  balls 
are  not  dry  enough  to  be  packed  in  chests  until  October. 

Up  to  1774,  when  Hastings  became  Governor  General 
of  India,  but  a  few  chests  of  opium  were  sent  to  China  each 
year.  The  small  quantity  brought  into  the  empire  from 
India  was  used  for  medicinal  purposes.  Two  )ears  after 
Hastings  took  the  matter  in  hand,  i,000  chests  of  the 
drug    were    sent    to    China,     and     in     1790     nearly     5,000 

*  Encyclopjedia  Biitannica,  Vol.  12,  P.  749. 


EVIL    EFFECTS    OF    OPIUM    USING.  427 

chests  were  requiied  to  supj)l\"  the  demand.  This  meant 
that  the  Chinese  had  acquired  such  a  taste  for  opium  that 
it  required  67,000  pounds  annually  to  satish-  the  demand. 
And  this  has  gone  on  until  now  the  British  Government 
sends  to  China  annually  thirteen  and  a  half  million  pounds 
of  the  drug.  Persia  and  Turkey  also  add  to  this  immense 
amount,  while  the  thirst  for  the  drug  has  become  so  great 
among  them  that  the  Chinese  cultivate  the  poppy  and  pro- 
duce thirt}-  million  poinids  of  opium,  all  of  which  is  con- 
sumed in  the  celestial  kingdom.  All  this  is  the  result  of 
the  British  introducing  and  afterwards  forcing  opium  upon 
the  Chinese  at  the  j:)oint  of  the  bayonet. 

The  opium  trade  which  Hastings  had  opened  up  with 
the  Chinese  was  not  only  a  success,  but  became  very  profit- 
able. Those  who  acauired  a  desire  for  the  drug  and  the 
habit  of  using  it,  demanded  more,  and  the  number  of  those 
who  used  it  constantly  increased.  The  heathen  emperor 
of  a  heathen  land  soon  became  aware  of  the  great  wrong 
that  was  being  done  to  his  subjects.  He  saw  the  terrible  ef- 
fects produced  by  the  use  of  the  opiate  upon  the  people. 
He  saw  prosperous  and  comparatively  happy  families  liter- 
ally destroyed  by  the  poison.  He  saw  strong  men  reduced 
to  helplessness,  idiocy  and  a  living  death;  and  seeing  this 
he  felt  it  his  duty,  heathen  as  he  was,  to  save  his  people,  if 
possible,  from  the  evils  which  the  cupidity  and  the  inordi- 
nate love  of  gold  of  the  English  was  forcing  upon  them. 
He  protested  in  the  most  earnest  manner  against  the  traffic, 
and  plead  w  ith  the  English  to  bring  no  more  opium  to  his 
country.  His  appeal  fell  upon  ears  deafened  by  the  clink 
of  gold. 

In  1796  the  Chinese  Emperor,  Lea- King,  issued  a  proc- 
lamation forbidding  the  importation  of  opium  into  his  do- 
minions.    He  also  forbade  the  smoking  of  the  drug  by  his 


428  GIRDLINT.    THE    GLOBE. 

subjects,  and  affixed  severe  i)unishnieiits  as  penalties  upon 
all  who  violated  the  decree.  But  these  severe  measures  did 
not  have  the  desired  effect.  The  English  found  means  to 
smuggle  their  opium  into  the  country,  and  the  people 
smoked  it  and  suffered  the  penalties.  The  trade  increased 
so  rapidly  that  in  1820-25  on  an  average  a  million  and  a 
quarter  pounds  were  annually  imported  from  India  and  con- 
sumed by  the  Chinese. 

There  was  a  constant  conflict  between  the  English  who 
were  engaged  in  importing  and  selling  the  drug  and  the 
Chinese  officials  who,  by  the  instruction  of  their  imperial 
master,  were  seeking,  by  all  means  in  their  power,  to  sup- 
press it.  The  death  penalty  was  now  fixed  as  a  punishment 
upon  all  the  subjects  of  the  emperor  who  smoked,  bought 
or  sold  opium.  And  in  order  to  show  the  English  that  they 
were  in  real  earnest  in  this  matter,  several  offenders  were 
taken  to  the  English  warehouses  where  the  drug  was  stored 
and  sold,  and  were  strangled  or  beheaded  before  the  Eng- 
lish official.  This  was  regarded  as  an  insult  to  the  high- 
minded  men  who  were  violating  both  the  laws  of  God  and 
man  in  their  nefarious  business.  The  relations  between  the 
Chinese  and  the  English  became  anything  but  friendly. 
The  former  were  determined  to  force  their  opium  upon  the 
heathen  Chinese  and  the  officials  of  the  latter  were  just  as 
determined  that  the  destructive  drug  should  be  driven  out 
of  their  country.  Efforts  were  made  to  have  the  importa- 
tion and  sale  of  opium  legalized  by  law,  and  sold  under  a 
license.  By  this  means  the  emperor  might  have  added 
largely  to  his  income,  but  the  heathens  had  not  learned  that 
it  was  right  to  license  and  legalize  the  wrong,  and  the 
proposition  was  indignantly  refused.  The  Chinese  author- 
ities saw  the  terrible  effects  and  the  fearful  evils  growing 
out  of  the  use  of  opium  and  determined  to  rid  their  country 


DESTROYING    THE    DRUG.  42g 

of  it.  But  the)'  did  not  know  the  strength  of  England. 
They  could  not  understand  why  a  country  that  was  sending 
missionaries  to  convert  them  to  Christianity  should,  at  the 
same  time,  force  upon  them  a  commodity  to  destroy  the 
life  and  souls  of  their  people.  They  knew  not  of  England's 
determination  to  force  opium  upon  them  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet,  if  necessary. 

In  January,  1839,  the  governor  of  the  Canton  district, 
by  order  of  the  emperor,  issued  a  proclamation  threatening 
to  destroy  the  opium  ships  if  they  were  not  sent  away  from 
Canton,  where  several  had  been  anchored  and  used  as  opi- 
um depots.  He  also  announced  that  a  special  commission- 
er had  been  appointed  by  the  emperor  to  carry  out  his 
instructions,  and  that  it  was  his  determined  purpose  "  to  cut 
off  utterly  the  source  of  this  noxious  abuse,  to  strip  bare 
and  root  up  this  enormous  evil;  and,  though  his  axe  should 
break  in  his  hand  or  his  boat  should  sink  from  beneath  him, 
yet  will  lie  not  stay  his  efforts  till  the  work  of  purification 
be  accomplished." 

The  high  commissioner,  Lin,  arrived  at  Canton  in 
March  and  he  at  once  ordered  that  all  the  opium  in  the 
store-ships  should  be  given  up  to  him,  and  all  who  had  been 
engaged  in  the  traffic  in  any  way  should  give  bonds  that 
they  would  never  bring  any  more  into  the  country,  under 
pain  of  death.  The  demand  for  the  delivery  of  the  opium 
was  complied  with,  and  by  the  fourth  of  May  a  little  over 
three  million  pounds  had  been  given  up  under  protest. 

"  The  destruction  of  the  drug,  which  was  valued  at  ten 
million  dollars,  took  place  a  short  distance  from  Canton  in 
the  presence  of  commissioner  Lin.  The  Chinese  authori- 
ties were  unwilling  to  cast  the  opium  into  the  river,  lest  the 
fish  should  be  poisoned  by  it.  The  method  of  destruction 
adopted  was  as  follows:  Three   large  vats,  or  trenches,    on? 


4,^0  (ilKI)I.l\(i    THE    c;L(J15E. 

luiiuliHtl  Ici'l  lonij,  scvcnty-fivc  feet  wide  and  seven  feet 
deep,  were  constructed.  Ivich  trench  was  flagged  with 
stone  and  lined  aroiuul  with  heav}^  timbers,  and  was  sepa- 
rately enclosed,  having  an  entrance  only  on  the  side,  which 
was  carefull}'  guarded  day  and  night.  The  trenches  were 
filled  from  about  one  to  two  feet  deep  with  fresh  water,  into 
which  the  balls  of  opium,  having  been  previously  broken 
into  small  i)ieces,  were  thrown.  Coolies  (the  term  applied 
to  common  laborers  .in  the  East),  were  employed  in  the 
trenches,  treading  upon  them,  and  keeping  the  opium 
turned  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  vat,  while  others  were 
em])loy(.d  in  spreading  salt  and  lime  over  the  whole  surface 
of  the  pit.  When  the  whole  mass  was  in  a  state  of  decom- 
position and  in  a  suflficiently  liquid  state  to  be  drawn  off,  a 
sluice,  furnished  with  a  screen  to  stop  solid  pieces,  was 
opened  and  the  liquid  flowed  into  the  creek." 

The  time  required  to  complete  the  work  of  destruction 
was  twent)'  days.  Thus  the  Chinese  officials  gave  abundant 
proof  that  they  were  in  deep  earnest  in  their  efforts  to  sup- 
press the  trafific  and  to  save  their  people  from  the  dire  ef- 
fects resulting  from  the  use  of  opium.  A  parallel  case 
would  be  if  the  offlcials  of  our  own  country  were  to  deter- 
mine to  stamp  out  the  trafific  in  intoxicating  drinks  and 
would  collect  all  the  intoxicants  in  the  countr}'  and  destro}' 
them,  and  would  forbid,  under  pain  of  death,  the  importa- 
tion, manufacture,  sale  and  use  of  the  poison. 

The  action  of  commissioner  Lin  in  destroying  the  opi- 
um was  taken  by  the  English  as  a  sufficient  pretext  for  war, 
which  was  accordingly  declared  in  1840.  The  British  fleet 
soon  after  arrived  and  the  work  of  coercion  commenced. 
It  was  the  strong  against  the  weak,  the  giants  among  pig- 
mies. The  Chinese  were  defeated  at  every  point.  \n  the 
records  of  the  war  such  statements  as  these  are  to  be  found: 


OPIUM    TRAFFIC.  43  I 

"  Chinese  loss,  five  hundred  killed;  the  English  did  not  lose 
a  man."  "  Several  thousand  Chinese  troops  defended  a 
fort."  "  Onl}'  one  hundred  of  them  accepted  quarter."  It 
was  slaughter  and  massacre  instead  of  war. 

Under  such  conditions  the  heathens  soon  sued  for 
peace.  Their  cities  and  towns  had  been  bombarded  and 
some  of  them  destroyed,  and  many  lives  had  been  sacrificed 
to  save  the  country  from  the  evil  that  was  being  forced 
upon  them  b)-  a  Christian  (?)  nation.  But  these  people 
died  in  vain!  A  treaty  of  peace  was  concluded  and  signed 
in  1842,  which  provided  that  four  additional  ports  were  to 
be  opeiKtl  to  English  trade  and  that  opium  must  be  admit- 
ted without  molestation.  In  addition  to  this,  the  Chinese 
were  compelled  to  pa)'  the  English  $21,000,000  as  indemnity 
and  cede  to  them  the  Island  of  Hong  Kong,  which  the 
Queen  holds  to-day.  Such  was  the  impetus  given  to  the 
opium  trade  by  the  war,  which  is  known  in  history  as  "  The 
Opium  War,"  that  in  1850  the  amount  sent  into  China  was 
not  far  from  three  million  pounds.  The  traffic  continued 
and  still  continues  under  the  protest  of  the  Chinese  Em- 
peror. 

There  is  not  recorded  in  the  history  of  modern  nations 
so  dark  a  blot  as  that  borne  by  the  British  on  account  of 
the  opium  war.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  this  took 
place  under  the  reign  of  England's  best  ruler,  Queen  Vic- 
toria. 

Dr.  M.  M.  Chipman,  an  authority  on  the  opium  ques- 
tion, has  this  to  say  concerning  the  traffic: 

"  The  enforced  traffic  of  opium  upon  China  is  the  great- 
est national  sin  and  the  most  far-reaching  in  its  conse- 
quences perpetrated  by  an\'  natit)ii  of  the  centur\-.  In  its 
quiet  l)ut  uninterrupted  s\vee[)  of  tlestruction  it  has  caused, 
so  far  as  numbers  alone  are  involved,  greater  loss  of  human 


432  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

life  than  war  with  all  its  attendant  consequences.  It  has  in- 
creased the  death  rate  more  than  the  epidemic  diseases 
which  have  prevailed  during  the  century.  It  has  caused 
more  helplessness  and  degradation,  a  wider  spread  of  im- 
poverishment, a  greater  aggregate  of  suffering  and  misery 
than  has  any  other  of  the  agencies  of  the  indulgence  of  ap- 
petite, or  gratification  of  sensual  pleasure.  It  has  blocked 
the  wheels  of  progress  in  the  matter  of  the  dissemination  of 
Christian  truth,  and  obstructed  the  advance  of  civilization 
more  than  any  other  obstacle." 

One  of  the  Queen's  own  subjects,  Rector  Cleife,  of 
Hardington,  Somerset,  England,  in  his  book,  "  England's 
Greatest  National  Sin,"  in  which  he  tells  of  the  enormity  of 
the  opium  traffic  and  of  the  dark  blot  it  has  brought  on 
England,  says:  "  I  am  pleased  to  see  there  is  a  new  period- 
ical called  Darkest  Russia,  published  by  a  committee  formed 
in  London  for  the  purpose  of  making  known  the  leading 
facts  with  regard  to  the  Muscovite  Jew.  I  wish  I  could  sug- 
gest to  philanthropists  in  Russia  a  similar  periodical  enti- 
tled Darkest  E/igla;id,  and  devote  its  pages  to  the  opium 
question  and  England's  relation  to  it.  Should  each  nation 
thus  cause  the  other  to  '  cease  to  do  evil,'  a  very  great  bless- 
ing to  humanity  would  be  the  result.  There  may  be  some 
men  in  both  countries  who  may  be  justified  in  taking  up 
these  causes,  but  let  no  man  condemn  the  national  sin  of  an- 
other country  while  he  ignores  his  own  nation's  guilt. 

"  I  have  called  the  opium  traffic  '  England's  Greatest 
National  Sin'  for  these,  among  other,  reasons: 

"  I.  Because  we  allow  our  Indian  subjects  to  indulge 
in  a  vice  which  is  unlawful  in  this  country. 

"  2.  Because  we  sell  opium  in  Burmah  against  the  re- 
ligion and  wishes  of  the  people, 


DIFFICULT    QUESTIONS.  433 

"  3.  Because  we  sell  it  to  China,  and  will  not  allow  an 
extra  tax  to  be  put  on  it  when  carried  inland,  thus  prevent- 
ing any  province  of  China  from  protecting  itself  by  a  local 
prohibitive  duty. 

"  4.  Because  it  is  a  very  great  hindrance  to  Christian 
missions. 

"  Dr.  Medhurst  tells  us,  '  Almost  the  first  word  uttered 
by  the  Chinese  when  anything  is  said  concerning  the  excel- 
lence of  Christianity  is,  "Why  do  Christians  bring  us  opi- 
um? .  .  .  The  vile  drug  has  destroyed  my  son,  has  ruined 
my  brother,  and  well-nigh  led  me  to  beggar  my  wife  and 
children.  Surely  those  who  import  such  a  deleterious  sub- 
stance, and  injure  me  for  the  sake  of  gain,  cannot  be  in  pos- 
session of  a  better  religion  than  my  own."  '  This  is  a  con- 
troversial subject,  and  let  it  be  remembered  that  I  plead  on 
one  side,  viz.,  the  anti-opium  side,  and  have  adduced,  to 
prove  my  views,  the  strongest  and  most  reliable  evidence  I 
can  find.  It  is  for  others  to  refute  these  statements  if  pos- 
sible. All  who  attempt  it,  in  ni}-  opinion,  will  find  that 
there  are  very  man}'  difficult  questions  to  answer. 

"Take  the  following  four  as  examples: 

"  I.  As  the  sale  of  opium  is  restricted  in  England,  so 
that  it  cannot  be  sold  in  any  form  without  being  labeled 
'  poison,'  why  is  it  that  in  India  it  is  sold  without  that  most 
proper  restriction? 

"  2.  The  former  rulers  of  Burmah  condemned  opium- 
smoking,  and  punished  the  offenders  with  death.  Why, 
then,  should  we,  the  present  rulers  of  that  country,  give 
them  such  facilities  as  we  do  to  procure  that  drug,  and  es- 
pecially when  by  such  conduct  we  encourage  them  to  act 
contrary  to  the  teachings  of  their  religion? 

"  3.  As  the  Indian  opium  is  stronger,  and  therefore 
more  injurious,  than  the  same  drug  grown  in  China,  why  do 


434  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

\VL-  [)rcvcnt  the  Chinese  protectiiii,^  themselves  a^rainst  it  in 
any  way  wliich  they  may  please,  and  arc  \vc  justified  in  dic- 
tating the  niaxiniuni  tax  to  be  ))ut  upon  it? 

"4.  Would  the  opium  traffic  be  defended  if  it  were  not 
for  the  revenue  obtained  from  it? 

"  Perhaps  there  is  no  greater  anomaly  than  the  fact 
that  her  Most  Gracious  Majest}-  is  both  '  Defender  of  the 
Faith  '  and  also  a  dealer  in  opium,  selling  it  in  ver\-  large 
wholesale  quantities;  and  what  perhaps  seems  still  more 
anomalous  is  that  a  single  cake  of  the  drug  can  be  pur- 
chased at  the  Government  stores  for  other  than  medicinal 
purposes.  Morcowr.  her  Majesty  identifies  herself  with  it 
so  very  closeh'  that  her  initials  are  placed  on  the  drug,  and 
the  stores  are  guarded  by  her  soldiers. 

"When  our  beloved  Queen  in  1858  took  possession  of 
India,  the  proclamation  announcing  her  direct  control  ren- 
ders homage  to  our  national  faith  in  God  and  in  Christ — 
'  Firmly  relying  ourselves  on  the  truth  of  Christianity,  and 
acknowledging  with  gratitude  the  solace  of  religion.'  Let 
these  noble  words  inspire  us  to  use  ever\-  lawful  effort,  that 
no  one  may  say:  The  same  person  who  is  st}led  *  Defender 
of  the  Faith  '  ma\'  also  be  described  as  '  A  seller  of  opium- 
balls  for  other  than  medicinal  purposes.'  I  mean,  of  course, 
in  the  same  limited  sense  as  when  we  speak  of  the  Queen's 
soldiers. 

"Think  not  that  I  thus  write  from  lack  of  lox'alty,  but 
rather,  being  a  most  loyal  subject,  I  argue  that,  as  our  opium 
trafific  is  associated  with  the  name  of  the  best  Queen  who 
ever  lived — and  this  is  especiall}-  the  foreigner's  view  of  the 
subject — it  affords  an  extra  powerful  reason  for  demanding 
an  immediate  reform.  Those  in  power  profess  loyalty  and 
affection  to  our  beloved  Queen;  let  them  show  it  by  wiping 


CITY    OF    PALACES.  435 

out  the  darkest  blot  which,  in  a  qualified  sense,  is  connected 
with  her  most  illustrious  name. 

"The  'Annual  Reports  on  the  Administration  of  the 
Bombay  Presidenc\-  '  show  that  opium  which  is  grown, 
manufactured,  and  sold  by  the  Indian  representatives  of  our 
Christian  queen,  Victoria,  is  beginning  to  find  its  way  into 
Africa.  In  her  earl\'  womanhood  she  was  able  to  tell  an 
African  chief  that  the  secret  of  England's  greatness  was  the 
Bible.  The  majority  of  Englishmen  concur  with  that  state- 
ment. Let  them  therefore  demand  that  our  Asiatic  policy 
be  not  contrary  to  the  teaching  of  God's  Word,  and  thus 
uphold  our  religion  and  the  honor  of  our  beloved  Queen." 

While  we  have  been  engaged  in  making  observations 
upon  the  introduction  of  opium  into  China  b\'  England, 
with  its  attendant  evils,  our  train  has  rolled  along  the  side 
of  the  Hooghl}^  river,  and  a  few  minutes  later  we  reach 
Calcutta,  in  name  only  the  City  of  Palaces. 

Upon  our  arrival  in  the  city  we  considered  ourselves 
especially  fortunate  in  finding  lodgings  in  the  comfortable 
home  at  the  Baptist  Mission,  presided  over  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jewson.  Mrs.  Jewson  { >icc  Miller)  formerly  resided  at 
Sharpsburg,  Md.,  and  was  well  acquainted  with  a  number  of 
our  own  church  members  in  that  localit}-.  We  at  once  felt 
quite  at  home.  It  seemed  that  we  were  not  among  stran- 
gers, but  with  warm-hearted  friends.  Both  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs. 
Jewson  are  earnest  missionar\'  workers  and  are  full  of  zeal 
for  the  cause  in  which  the\-  have  enlisted.  They  have  been 
in  India  nearl)'  a  score  of  years,  and  are  well  acquainted 
with  the  work  and  its  demands.  Mr.  Jewson  devotes  his 
time  to  preaching  the  Word  to  the  natives  and  he  informed 
me  that  the  best  helpers  are  the  native  preachers.  They  are 
earnest  and  zealous  and  succeed  where  the  white  man  often 
fails.     We  enjoyed  our  stay  at  this  place  very  much  indeed. 


ASIATIC    CHOLERA.  437 

and  received  much  valuable  information  as  to  the  mission 
work  among  the  heathen.  We  left  them,  feeling  under 
many  obligations  to  this  kind  missionary  family. 

Calcutta  is  the  capital  of  British  India,  and  the  seat  of 
the  Supreme  Government.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  cities  in 
India,  having  a  population  of  840,000  souls,  with  more  Eu- 
ropeans and  Americans,  perhaps,  than  an)^  other  city  in  the 
East.  The  city  is  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Hooghly 
river,  one  of  the  mouths  of  the  sacred  Ganges,  nearly  a  hun- 
dred miles  from  the  sea.  Being  so  far  inland,  it  is  cut  off 
entirely  from  the  sea  breeze,  and  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  year  it  is  oppressively  hot,  the  average  temperature  for 
a  series  of  years  being  about  eighty  degrees.  The  mercury 
often  rises  to  one  hundred  and  six  in  the  shade. 

In  this  part  of  India  is  to  be  found  the  home  of  the 
dreaded  disease,  Indian  or  Asiatic  cholera.  With  the  ex- 
treme heat  and  an  annual  rainfall  reaching  as  high  as  nine- 
t}'-three  inches,  all  the  conditions  for  the  propagation  of 
the  disease  are  found.  When  the  disease  assumes  the  form 
of  an  epidemic,  as  it  often  does,  thousands  of  the  natives 
and  many  Europeans  are  carried  away.  We  learned,  soon 
after  our  arrival  in  Calcutta,  that  the  disease  had  broken 
out  and  that  a  number  of  natives  w^ere  dying  every  day. 
One  report  gave  the  number  of  deaths  at  forty-eight  each 
day.  A  danger  faced  loses  much  of  its  dread.  We  found 
this  to  be  true  when  we  were  in  close  quarters  with  the 
cholera.  We  did  not  seem  to  fear  it  as  much  as  when  at 
home  we  heard  that  our  country  was  threatened  by  an  in- 
vasion of  the  disease.  Of  course  it  was  confined  to  the 
native  quarter  of  the  city,  and  we  did  not  come  into  im- 
mediate contact  with  it. 

Calcutta  is  like  most  other  large  cities  in  India.  It  has 
its  European   and   its   native   quarters,   and   what   has   been 


438  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

said  of  Bombay  in  these  pages,  might  be  applied  to  the 
Capital  of  India.  The  Government  House,  Town  Hall, 
Legislative  Chamber  and  Post-office  are  all  imposing  struc- 
tures built  after  modern  architectural  models.  There  are 
also  many  fine  private  residences,  the  property  of  the  gov- 
ernment ofTficials.  Then  there  are  the  narrow  streets  and 
crowded  bazaars  and  low  mud  houses  of  the  native  quarter. 
As  in  Bombay,  so  here,  many  of  the  people  live  in  the 
streets. 

There  is  not  a  large  city  or  town  in  India  that  has  not 
been  the  scene  of  some  terrible  crime  perpetrated  in  the 
name  of  war,  and  Calcutta  is  no  exception  to  the  rule. 
Cawnpore  has  its  Memorial  Well,  Lucknow  its  battered 
Residency,  Delhi  the  wonderful  story  of  its  siege,  and  Cal- 
cutta its  Black  Hole.  The  story  has  been  told  over  and 
over  again,  but  in  the  hope  that  it  will  create  a  stronger 
sentiment  against  war,  with  all  its  cruelties,  it  is  repeated 
again.  We  are  indebted  to  Poole  and  Macaulay  for  the  ac- 
count here  given. 

It  was  in  1756,  when  Calcutta  was  a  small  town,  with  a 
European  population  of  some  two  hundred  merchants  and 
traders.  The  East  India  Company  supplied  these  traders 
with  a  small  body  of  troops  for  their  protection.  Nazim 
was  the  ruler  of  Bengal  at  this  time,  and  he  had  alwa)-s 
shown  a  friendly  spirit  toward  the  English.  Upon  his  death 
his  grandson,  Dowlah,  ruled  in  his  stead.  For  some  unex- 
plained reason  he  hated  the  merchants  of  Calcutta  with  a 
deadly  hatred,  and  he  determined  to  exterminate  them. 
For  this  purpose  he  assembled  an  army  of  fifty  thousand  of 
his  best  soldiers  and  marched  upon  the  doomed  city.  The 
English  were  able  to  put  only  one  hundred  and  seventy 
armed  men  in  defense  of  the  place.  Mr.  Hoi  well  was  the 
leader  of  the  little  band  of  defenders.     They  kept  the  ene- 


THK    lir,A(K    I10I,K.  439 

my  at  bay  four  days,  and  then,  under  promise  tliat  their 
lives  would  be  spared,  the}-  surrendered  to  the  young  Na- 
bob.    How  well  this  promise  was  kept  the  sequel  will  show. 

Mr.  Hoi  well  was  taken  before  the  Indian  prince,  who 
fiercely  upbraided  him  for  defending  the  place.  When  he 
returned  to  his  comrades,  he  found  them  surrounded  by  a 
strong  guard.  Then,  without  a  suspicion  of  the  fate  that 
awaited  them,  the  prisoners  asked  where  they  were  to  be 
lodged  for  the  night. 

Then  was  committed  that  great  crime,  memorable  for 
its  singular  atrocit}',  memorable  for  the  tremendous  retribu- 
tion by  which  it  was  followed.  The  English  captives  were 
left  to  tlie  merc\'  of  the  guards,  and  the  guard.s  determined 
to  secure  them  for  the  night  in  the  prison  of  the  garrison,  a 
chamber  known  by  the  fearful  name  of  the  Black  Hole. 
Even  for  a  single  European  malefactor  that  dungeon  would, 
in  such  a  climate,  have  been  too  close  and  narrow.  The 
space  was  only  twenty  feet  square.  The  air  holes  were 
small  and  obstructed.  It  was  the  summer  solstice,  the 
season  when  the  fierce  heat  of  Bengal  can  scarcely  be  ren- 
dered tolerable  to  natives  of  England  by  lofty  halls  and 
the  constant  wavings  of  fans.  The  number  of  prisoners  was 
one  hundred  and  forty-six.  When  they  were  ordered  to  en- 
ter the  cell,  they  imagined  the  soldiers  were  joking;  and,  be- 
ing in  high  spirits  on  account  of  the  promise  of  the  Nabob 
to  spare  their  lives,  they  laughed  and  jested  at  the  absurdity 
of  the  notion.  The\-  soon  discovered  their  mistake.  They 
expostulated,  they  entreated,  but  in  vain.  The  guards 
threatened  to  cut  down  all  who  hesitated.  The  captives 
were  driven  into  the  cell  at  the  point  of  the  sword  and  the 
door  was  instantly  shut  and  locked  upon  them. 

Nothing  in  history  or  fiction,  not  even  the  story  which 
Ugolino  told   in   the   sea   of   everlasting    ice,    after   he    had 


440  GiRDLixr;  the  globe. 

wiped  his  bloody  lips  on  the  scalp  of  his  murderer,  ap- 
proaches the  horrors  which  were  recounted  by  the  few  sur- 
vivors of  that  night.  They  cried  for  mercy.  They  strove 
to  burst  the  door.  Kolwell,  who,  even  in  that  extremity, 
retained  his  presence  of  mind,  offered  large  bribes  to  the 
goalers,  but  the  answer  was  that  nothing  could  be  done 
without  the  Nabob's  orders,  that  the  Nabob  was  asleep,  and 
that  he  would  be  angry  if  anybody  awoke  him.  Then  the 
prisoners  went  mad  with  despair.  They  trampled  each 
other  down,  fought  for  the  places  at  the  windows,  fought 
for  the  pittance  of  water  with  which  the  cruel  mercy 
of  the  murderers  mocked  their  agonies,  raved,  prayed, 
blasphemed,  implored  the  guards  to  fire  upon  them.  The 
goalers,  in  the  meantime,  held  ligiits  to  the  bars,  and 
shouted  with  laughter  at  the  frantic  struggles  of  their  vic- 
tims. At  length  the  tumult  died  away  in  low  gaspings  and 
moanings.  The  day  broke.  The  Nabob  had  slept  off  his 
debauch,  and  permitted  the  door-to  be  opened.  But  it  was 
some  time  before  the  soldiers  could  make  a  lane  for  the 
survivors,  by  piling  up  on  each  side  the  heaps  of  corpses 
upon  which  the  burning  climate  had  already  begun  to  do  its 
loathsome  work.  When  at  length  a  passage  was  made, 
twent)'-three  ghastly  figures,  such  as  their  own  mothers 
would  not  have  known,  staggered  out  of  the  charnel-house. 
A  pit  was  instantly  dug;  the  dead  bodies,  a  hundred  and 
twenty-three  in  number,  were  flung  into  it  promiscuously 
and  covered  up.* 

As  soon  as  the  dead  were  buried,  Dowlah  called  the 
living  into  his  presence.  Holwell  was  among  the  number. 
Mrs.  Carey,  a  lady  who  had  refused  to  leave  her  husband 
when  the  other  women  escaped  in  the  ship,  also  appeared. 
It  was  marvelous  how   she  lived  through  tiie  night   in  the 


*  Macaulay. 


RETRIBUTION    AND    VENGEANCE.  44 1 

dungeon,  when  her  husband  and  other  strong  men  perished. 
She  was  placed  in  the  harem  of  the  Nabob  at  Moorshede- 
bad,  and  kept  a  prisoner  for  six  years.  She  died  at  Calcut- 
ta in  1 80 1. 

Mr.  Holwell  was  loaded  with  chains  and  sent  to  a  pris- 
on in  the  interior;  the  rest  of  the  survivors  of  that  fearful 
night  were  lodged  in  miserable  huts  and  fed  only  on  grain 
and  water.  They  all  eventually  gained  their  liberty.  Mr. 
Holwell  survived  the  event  forty  years. 

Retribution  and  vengeance  soon  fell  upon  the  monster 
in  human  shape  who  was  responsible  for  this  terrible  crim3. 
Lord  Clive  marched  upon  him  with  twenty- four  hundred 
English  troops  and  overthrew  his  vast  army.  A  great 
slaughter  ensued.  The  Nabob  was  captured  and  put  to 
death,  and  thus  closed  another  chapter  of  the  horrible  cru- 
elties of  war. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


Cahutta  to  Darjceling — ./;/  Upivard  Clitnb  —  Railroading  Above  the 

Clouds —  The  Himalayan  Mountains  —  A  Grand  rieit,' —  The  Ran- 

jit  River  —  A  Cane  Bridge —  Tlie  Bhooteas —  The  Prayer  Wheel  — 

\Vi7id  and    Water  Assist  in   Praying  —  Leai'ing    Calcutta —  The 

Hooghly  Ri7'er — Madras —  The  Juggernaut. 

We  were  glad  to  leave  the  hot,  stiflint,^  air  of  Calcutta, 
with  its  indescribable  smells  and  its  cholera-infected  dis- 
trict, for  a  journey  to  the  Himalayas,  where  we  could  enjoy 
the  fresh,  crisp,  frosty  mountain  air.  The  trip  was  made  in 
the  early  days  of  February.  We  had  been  having  warm 
summer  weather  from  the  time  we  left  home  in  May  until 
now,  and  we  longed  for  a  breath  of  fresh  winter  air.  We 
were  told  that  we  would  need  our  overcoats  and  heavy 
wraps  for  our  trip  to  the  "Top  of  the  World,"  as  the  Hin- 
dus call  Mount  Everest  and  its  surrounding  peaks,  and  we 
found  the  advice  timely.  It  requires  twenty-four  hours  to 
make  the  journey,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  forty-si.x 
miles,  and  the  expense  of  the  round  trip  is  about  eighteen 
dollars. 

Leaving  the  capital,  we  pass  through  many  native  vil- 
lages where  the  people  were  busy  with  their  daily  labor. 
Rice  fields,  indigo  plantations,  and  the  opium-producing 
poppy  gardens  cover  the  rich  bottom  lands  of  the  Hooghly 
and  Ganges  rivers.  The  huts  of  the  dwellers  in  eastern 
Bengal  are  much  like  those  in  other  parts  of  India,  and  the 
same  statement  applies  to  their  mode  of  living.  About 
clothing  they  have  but  little  concern.  The  dhoti  is  gener- 
ally worn  in  the  towns  and  villages,  to  be  laid  aside  in  the 
(442) 


HIMALAYAN    RAILROAD.  443 

fields,  and  you  may  see  thousands  of  bronzed  figures  at 
work  in  the  hot  sun,  with  no  covering  save  that  afforded  by 
a  mere  strip  of  cotton  cloth  wrapped  about  the  loins. 

The  railway  stations  along  the  line  have  peculiar  names, 
as,  for  example,  Rhanaghat,  Damookdea,  Jalpaiguri  and 
others  equally  unpronounceable  to  our  English  tongue. 
At  Silliguri  we  reached  the  terminus  of  the  North  Bengal 
Railway.  From  this  point  runs  the  Himala\'an  railroad, 
with  the  iron  rails  laid  but  two  feet  apart,  and  with  such 
small  cars  that,  upon  seeing  them,  one  is  forcibly  reminded 
of  a  to}'  railway.  But  it  is  a  real  iron  road,  and,  it  is  said, 
pays  the  fortunate  stockholders,  the  Gladstones  of  England, 
some  forty  per  cent  annually. 

The  distance  from  Silliguri  to  Darjeeling  is  fifty  miles, 
and  the  schedule  time  is  eight  hours.  This  is  but  six  and  a 
quarter  miles  an  hour, — slow  running  for  a  train  of  cars,  and 
yet  quite  fast  enough  for  the  nerves  of  passengers;  fast 
enough  when  the  dizzy  heights  are  scaled  and  the  abrupt 
sides  of  the  mountain  peaks  are  rounded.  The  road,  with  a 
gradient  of  one  mile  in  thirty,  starts  a  few  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea  and  reaches  an  elevation  of  some  seven 
thousand  feet  at  its  terminus. 

The  scenery  is  grand  beyond  the  power  of  the  pen  to 
describe.  The  Himalayan  mountains  rise  abruptly  from  the 
plain  and  reach  their  culmination  in  the  lofty  peak  of  Mount 
Everest,  nearly  five  and  a  half  miles  high.  Pike's  Peak,  in 
our  own  grand  Rocky  Mountain  range,  is  less  than  half  as 
high  as  Everest,  and  then,  as  you  approach  the  "  Old  Rock- 
ies," you  ascend  gradually  until  the  foot-hills  are  reached, 
and  then  you  are  six  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  But  the 
Himala}-as  rise  up  in  all  their  grandeur  abruptly  from  the 
plain,  which  is  but  a  few  feet  above  the  common  level.     The 


444  GIRDLING    THE    (JLOiiE. 

Rocky  Mountains,  if  placed  by  the  side  of  the  Asiatic 
giants,  would  form  for  them  only  appropriate  foot-hills. 

No  sooner  had  we  left  the  station  than  the  ascent  be- 
gins. We  pass  through  jungle  after  jungle  where  the  un- 
dergrowth of  tropical  vegetation  is  so  dense  that  the  eye 
cannot  penetrate  it.  In  these  jungles  amid  the  mountain 
fastnesses  are  to  be  found  the  homes  of  the  Bengal  tiger, 
the  spotted  leopard,  and  many  other  savage  beasts  of  pre)\ 

Our  powerful  engines  move  us  slowly  upward,  and  we 
notice  that  in  two  hours  we  have  ascended  two  thousand 
feet.  The  scenery  now  becomes  more  wild  and  rugged. 
At  one  place  the  mountains  surround  a  deep  circular  open 
space,  resembling,  more  than  anything  else,  a  gigantic  bowl 
formed  by  the  hand  of  the  Creator.  It  is  at  least  two  thou- 
sand feet  deep,  and  more  than  a  mile  wide  at  the  rim.  The 
bottom  is  covered  with  villages  and  rice-fields,  while  on  the 
sides  are  numerous  tea  plantations,  or  gardens  as  they  are 
called.  The  road  passes  round  and  round  the  inside  of  the 
rugged  bowl,  rising  higher  and  higher  at  each  circuit  until 
at  last — rounding  a  high  mountain  peak,  and  running  so 
near  the  edge  that  from  the  side  of  the  car  you  might,  if 
your  nerves  were  strong  enough,  look  down  thousands  of 
feet — it  passes  through  a  tunnel  and  reaches  the  top  of  the 
first  mountain  ridge. 

The  last  part  of  our  journey  was  among  the  clouds. 
The  mist  gathered  about  us  in  great,  dark  folds  and  rolled 
down  the  mountain  side.  So  dense  and  dark  it  was  that  we 
could  scarcely  see  an  object  by  the  roadside  only  a  few  feet 
away.  Presently  we  emerged  from  the  thick  vapor.  Look- 
ing down  upon  the  silvery  mass  at  our  feet,  upon  which  the 
sun  was  shining,  we  realized  that  we  were  railroading  above 
the  clouds;  for  we  had  reached  an  elevation  of  more  than  a 
mile  above  our  starting  point.     The  lofty  mountain  peaks 


CLIMBING    THE    MOUNTAIN.  445 

were  visible  for  a  few  minutes  only,  and  then  the  clouds, 
having  given  up  part  of  their  wealth  of  water,  rose  again 
and  shut  out  mountain  [)cak  and  sun.  We  reached  our 
destination  in  rain  and  mist,  and  were  glad  to  find  a  home 
in  the  Woodland  Hotel,  situated  on  the  steep  mountain  side. 
The  evening  was  dark  and  gloomy  and  gave  but  little  hope 
of  a  view  of  the  snowy  range  on  the  n^orrow. 

In  the  early  morning,  before  sunup,  we  were  out  climb- 
ing up  the  mountain  side  in  order  to  reach  a  peak  from 
which  the  best  view  of  the  snowy  range  could  be  had.  The 
sky  was  cloudless.  The  rain  of  the  day  before  had  cleared 
the  atmosphere  of  rain  and  mist.  The  air  was  cool  and 
crisp.  The  ground  was  covered  with  white  frost,  and  our 
upward  climb  was  in  every  way  very  enjoyable.  At  last  we 
reached  the  top  of  the  peak  and  sat  down  to  rest  and  enjoy 
the  view. 

And  what  a  scene  it  was!  The  pen  is  powerless  when 
it  comes  to  describe,  and  words  fail  to  impart  to  others  the. 
impressions  made  upon  the  mind  of  the  entranced  beholder. 
To  be  realized  andyt'//  it  must  be  seen.  In  the  east  the  sun 
was  just  showing  his  upper  rim,  shining  with  noonday 
brightness  in  the  clear,  limpid  atmosphere,  and  flooding 
hill  and  mountain  top  with  the  golden  light  of  morning. 
Turning  to  the  west  there  broke  upon  our  astonished  vision 
the  grandest  mountain  scenery  on  the  globe.  The  snowy 
range  of  the  Himalayas,  with  a  dozen  peaks — all  of  which 
are  more  than  eighteen  thousand  feet  high,  while  the  high- 
est towers  upward  twenty-nine  thousand  and  two  feet— is 
spread  out  before  us  in  a  grand  panoramic  view,  grandly 
magnificent  and  marvelously  beautiful. 

The  Hindus  are  right.  Surely  this  is  the  "top  of  the 
world."  The  sun  shining  with  all  his  powers,  undimmed  by 
fog  or  mist,  brought  out,  in  full  relief  against  the  bright  blue 


44^  GIRDLING   THK    GLOBE. 

sk\',  each  mountain  i)eak,  covered  with  {)ure  white  snow 
The  clear-cut  precipices,  the  deep  valle)s,  and,  above  all, 
the  snowy  mountain  range,  transformed  by  the  bright  sun- 
light into  huge  masses  of  embossed  silver,  overwhelm  one 
with  the  majest)'  of  nature  and  the  power  of  the  Creator. 
Looking  u[)on  these  grand  peaks,  touching,  as  it  were,  the 
azure  of  heaven,  we  said,  Sureh'  the  earth  showeth  the 
handiwork  of  God;  for  ever  since  the  world  was  formed  by 
the  power  of  the  Almighty,  and  the  morning  stars  sang  to- 
gether for  jo)-,  this  eternal  region  of  ice  and  snow  has  held 
in  close  embrace  these  stupendous  peaks,  reared  by  the 
hand  of  God  himself. 

Such  were  some  of  our  thoughts  as  we  saw  the  rising 
sun  shine  full  and  clear  upon  the  snow-white  mountain 
range.  Another  thus  describes  the  setting  sun,  "Language 
cannot  describe  the  glories  of  the  Himalayas,  seen  from 
Darjeeling,  lit  up  by  the  ra\'s  of  the  setting  sun.  Against 
the  azure  sky,  in  an  atmosphere  far  clearer  than  we  ever  see 
at  home,  the  snowy  range  reflects  the  colors  of  the  sunset, 
ever  changing  and  deepening  in  richness  from  bright  yellow 
to  pink,  from  ])ink  to  crimson,  and  that,  too,  long  after  the 
sun  is  hid  from  us.  A  scene  like  this  is  something  to  be 
treasured  as  one  of  the  noteworth}'  moments  of  life." 

The  Hindu  has  selected  these  snov/y  fastnesses  as  the 
location  of  his  future  abode,  for  here,  says  he,  no  human  ev- 
er has  or  ever  will  tread.  And  yet  many  a  poor  wanderer 
has  met  death  in  the  vain  attempt  to  scale  the  snowy  range 
in  search  of  Swarza. 

But  there  are  not  only  heights  upon  heights  to  be 
viewed  at  Darjeeling.  There  are  depths  below  depths  as 
well.  Here  one  gets  a  new  and  deeper  meaning  of  Paul's 
words,  "depth  and  height,"  as  he  looks  down  and  down  to 
the  bed  of  the  Ranjit  river,  rushing  downward  to  the  sea 


a 

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IT. 

'J. 
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a 


BRIDGE    OVER    THE    RAXJIT    RIVER.  449 

more  than  six  thousand  feet  below.  Then,  from  this  lowest 
point  of  vision,  the  exes  are  raised  along  the  side  of  the 
forest-clad  hills,  upward  to  precipice  and  peak,  up  to  the 
realm  of  everlasting  ice  and  snow,  and  still  up  higher  and 
higher  to  the  tops  of  the  azure-kissed  peaks  soaring  in  the 
sky.  It  is  said  that  from  the  lowest  point  which  the  eye 
can  reach  in  tlic  \alley  of  the  Ranjit  to  the  top  of  the  high- 
est peak  visible,  the  vertical  height  is  at  least  five  miles,  and 
that  such  thickness  of  the  earth's  crust  can  be  seen  nowhere 
else  on  the  globe. 

From  Darjeeling  to  the  bed  of  the  Ranjit  river,  which 
separates  it  from  the  Himalayan  range,  shown  on  another 
page,  you  go  down  six  thousand  feet  in  traveling  eleven 
miles.  The  river  is  crossed  by  a  cane  bridge  of  peculiar 
construction.  Bamboo  and  rattan  canes  are  used  in  its  con- 
struction. The  limbs  of  two  overhanging  trees  are  utilized 
as  main  supports  for  the  frail  structure.  The  trunks  of  the 
trees  are  used  as  piers.  Side  rails  are  provided,  and  but  a 
single  traveler  may  pass  over  at  a  time.  The  swing  of  the 
structure  is  considerable,  but  it  is  perfectly  safe  for  the  pas- 
sage of  the  river. 

From  one  point  of  view  we  looked  down  several  thou- 
sand feet,  upon  what  seemed  to  us  a  great  valley  covered 
with  snow.  But  wc  soon  found  that  what  had  the  appear- 
ance of  snow  was  a  great  mass  of  white  clouds,  upon  which 
the  sun  poured  his  rich,  white  light  and  transformed  the 
whole  upper  surface  of  the  cloud  into  a  seeming  lake  of 
molten  silver.  Then  we  knew  more  fully  than  we  had  ever 
known  before  that  every  cloud  has  a  silver  lining.  Below 
the  mist  was  the  village,  and  to  the  inhabitants  thereof  was 
only  visible  the  darkness  and  blackness  of  the  storm  cloud; 
but  we  knew  that  above  it  and  upon  it  the  sun  did  shine. 

Then  came  the  thought  that  over  the  horizon  of  all  our 


< 

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> 

o 

u 
o 

Q 

5 


NATIVES    OF    DAKJEELING.  45  I 

lives  come  the  storm  clouds.  We  were  not  created  to 
dwell  on  mountain  peaks,  but  in  the  valleys  under  the 
clouds,  where  human  help  and  human  sympathy  must  be 
given  and  received.  The  notion  that  we  can  live  above  the 
sorrows  and  the  sympathies  and  the  cares  and  anxieties  of 
life  is  a  mistaken  one.  The  Christian  religion  teaches  us  to 
meet,  with  humble  boldness,  the  trials  of  life,  and  promises 
to  give  us  grace  to  bear  and  overcome  them  all.  The 
words,  "  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee,"  were  not  spoken 
for  dwellers  above  the  clouds,  but  for  those  who  come  in 
contact  with  the  "thorn  in  the  flesh."  The  idea  of  a  spirit- 
ual elevation  that  brings  spiritual  seclusion  is  contrary  to 
the  teachings  of  the  New  Testament. 

At  Darjeelingwe  come  in  contact  with  a  new  race  of 
people,  radically  different  from  the  gentle  natives  of  the 
plains  below.  They  are  small  in  stature  but  strong  and 
powerfully  built.  They  are  inured  to  hardships  and  have 
wonderful  powers  of  endurance.  They  tramp  over  the  hills 
and  mountains,  carrying  on  their  backs  great  burdens  which 
we  could  not  raise  from  the  ground.  They  carry  in  their 
girdles  long,  murderous-looking,  sickle-shaped  knives. 
These  serve  them  for  all  ordinary  purposes,  from  the  cut- 
ting down  of  small  trees  to  the  paring  of  their  nails.  An 
enraged  Himalayan  with  his  long  knife,  which  he  uses  with 
great  dexterity,  would  be  a  formidable  antagonist.  But 
they  are  a  peaceable,  quiet,  contented  people,  having  few 
wants  and  knowing  but  little  of  the  outside  world.  They 
live  on  rice,  speak  the  Thibetan  dialect  and  are  followers  of 
the  Buddhist  religion. 

Here,  too,  we  met,  in  large  numbers,  a  race  of  people 
known  as  the  Bhooteas.  They  are  "tall  and  robust,  sturdy, 
flat-faced  people,  weather-beaten,  with  broad  mouths  and 
flat  noses;  their  complexion  is  whitish  yellow,  but  incrusted 


452  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

with  dill  aiul  t;ir  smoke.  They  seldom  wash.  Tiiey  are 
dressed  in  loose  blankets,  £^irt  about  the  waist  with  a  leath- 
ern belt,  in  which  the\'  place  their  brass  pipes,  their  long 
kni\cs,  tinder  box,  tobacco  pouch,  and  tweezers,  with  which 
they  pluck  away  all  traces  of  the  beard.  They  wear  stout, 
woven  boots, — boot  and  stocking  all  in  one.  The  women 
have  their  faces  tarred  and  their  hair  plaited  in  two  long 
tails,  the  neck  loadjd  with  a  string  of  amber  and  corals,  and 
large,  heavy  earrings  dragging  down  the  lobe  of  the  ear. 
They  are  almost  continuously  engaged  in  spinning." 

The  Bhooteas  are  worshipers  of  a  corrupt  form  of  Bud- 
dhism. In  their  worship  they  use  curiously-constructed 
wheels,  known  as  prayer  wheels.  They  also  hang  pieces  of 
cloth,  with  prayers  inscribed  on  them,  on  long  poles  stuck 
in  the  ground.  When  they  cross  the  mountains  they  tie 
their  prayer-rags  on  the  bushes  and  scatter  grains  of  rice  on 
the  hillsides  to  keep  away  the  evil  spirits. 

It  seems  strange,  indeed,  to  meet  a  people  who  believe 
in  making  use  of  machinery  in  their  worship.  Rut  strange 
as  it  may  seem,  the  Buddhists  of  Darjeeling  and  the  coun- 
try farther  north  used  many  kinds  of  wheels  or  cylinders  in 
their  devotions.  One  may  see  machines  of  various  kinds 
and  shapes  in  almost  constant  use  among  these  people. 
There  are  the  hand  wheels  which  the  worshiper  twirls 
around  with  his  fingers  as  he  walks  through  the  streets,  the 
larger  house  and  temple  wheels  propelled  by  the  wind,  and 
the  still  larger  water  wheels,  the  motive  power  being  sup- 
plied by  the  running  stream  of  water. 

According  to  Poole  the  use  of  these  wheels  can  be 
traced  back  for  at  least  a  thousand,  four  hundred  years. 
They  are  believed  to  have  originated  from  the  notion  that 
it  is  an  act  of  merit  and  a  cure  for  sin  to  be  forever  reading 
pr  reciting    portions    of    the   writings    of    Buddha.     But   as 


PRAYER    WHEELS.  453 

many  of  the  poorer  classes  were  unable  to  read,  it  came  to 
be  considered  as  sufficient  for  devotional  purposes  to  turn 
over  the  rolled  manuscript  containing  the  precious  sayings. 
This  was  found  to  save  so  much  time  and  trouble  that  the 
people  at  once  took  to  rolling  instead  of  reading  the  writ- 
ings of  their  leader.  In  time  this  method  became  tiresome 
and  the  pra}'er  wheel,  ars  now  used,  was  the  result. 

"  A  hand  prayer  wheel  is  a  little,  round  box  or  c^dinder 
of  either  brass,  copper  or  silver,  about  three  inches  in  length 
by  two  and  one-half  in  diameter.  Ascriptions  of  praise  to 
Buddha  are  closely  written  on  strips  of  paper  or  cloth,  and 
are  tightly  rolled  around  a  spindle  about  six  inches  long,  of 
which  the  lower  half,  forming  the  handle,  is  left  bare.  The 
upper  half  of  the  spindle,  covered  with  the  written  prayers, 
is  enclosed  in  a  cylinder,  made  of  brass  and,  in  some  cases, 
of  silver.  From  the  middle  of  the  cylinder  hangs  a  chain 
with  a  small  lump  of  metal  at  the  end,  which,  when  tlie 
wheel  is  twirled  around  on  a  pivot,  gives  the  necessary  im- 
petus to  the  little  machine,  which  rev^olves  with  but  the 
slightest  exertion  and  goes  on  grinding  out  any  given  num- 
ber of  prayers." 

The  form  of  prayer  most  generally  used  is  the  six- 
s}-llabled  charm,  containing  these  words,  dn  Maiti  Padini 
Hoti.  Howard  gives  this  translation  of  the  words,  "  Hail  to 
him  of  the  lotus  and  jewel."  Buddha  is  represented  as  be- 
ing seated  on  a  lotus  blossom  with  a  jewel  in  his  forehead, 
hence  the  allusion  to  jewel  and  lotus  in  the  prayer.  Thou- 
sands and  tens  of  thousands  of  times  are  these  words  re- 
peated over  and  over  again  by  every  Buddhist  worshiper, 
thus  illustrating  the  truth  of  the  words  of  the  Savior  when 
he  referred  to  the  vain  repetitions  of  the  heathen. 

We  saw  a  number  of  men  walking  about  the  streets 
twirling   their    little  wheels,   praying   after   their  notion   of 


454  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

praying  as  they  went.  Some  of  them  offered  their  wheels 
for  sale,  and  no  relic  hunter  leaves  Darjeeling  without  one 
of  these  curious  little  cylinders.  Some  of  the  worshipers, 
however,  are  averse  to  selling  them,  fearing  that  the  pur- 
chaser might  turn  them  the  wrong  way,  which,  according 
to  their  belief,  would  result  in  great  ev^il  to  them. 

But  the  people  use  not  only  hand  wheels  in  their  de- 
votions; they  harness  the  wind  and  the  water  and  compel 
these  elements  to  assist  them  in  repeating"  their  prayers  in 
honor  to  Buddha.  The  wind  wheels  are  placed  on  horizon- 
tal bars,  supported  by  upright  posts.  Each  wheel  has  two 
fan-like  projections,  and  revolves  rapidly  when  the  wind 
strikes  them.  They  are  placed  on  the  top  of  a  hill  or 
mountain  where  they  will  constantly  catch  the  breeze.  The 
water  cylinders  are  constructed  over  a  running  stream, 
where  a  miniature  wheel,  propelled  by  the  water,  keeps  the 
praying  machine  in  constant  motion  day  and  night,  grinding 
out  tens  of  thousands  of  prayers.  While  the  wind  blows 
and  the  water  flows,  the  Buddhist  believes  that  he  is  storing 
up  unlimited  merit  without  other  expense  or  trouble  than  is 
necessary  to  construct  and  keep  in  order  his  praying  ma- 
chines. 

Then,  too,  at  all  the  temples  are  cylinders,  as  large  as  an 
oil  barrel,  filled  with  prayers.  These  are  so  arranged  that 
b)-  pulling  on  a  rope  they  are  set  in  rapid  motion.  Those 
who  come  to  worship  first  ring  a  bell  to  wake  their  god 
from  his  sleep,  then  take  a  pull  at  the  rope,  and  go  away 
satisfied   that   they   have    performed    their    religious    dut)\ 

There  are  also  prayer  flags  a  yard  in  width  and  of  great 
length.  These  are  attached  to  high  poles  and  are  inscribed 
with  prayers  and  ascriptions  of  praise.  As  the\'  are  stirred 
by  the   mountain  breeze,  and  their  folds  are  spread  out  on 


MACHINE    PRAYING.  455 

the  wings  of  the  wind,  the  worshiper  believes  that  his  prayer 
is  wafted  to  the  ears  of  his  god. 

One  can  have  no  other  feeling  than  that  of  sadness  in 
looking  upon  these  evidences  of  the  superstition  of  the  peo- 
ple. It  is  not  easy  to  believe  that  men  and  women  can  be 
duped  in  this  way.  But  ignorance,  superstition  and  idolatr)- 
are  a  triplet  that  walk  hand  in  hand.  Destroy  the  first,  and 
the  second  and  third  go  down.  Replace  their  false  religion 
with  the  true  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  idols  and  prayer 
machines  will  disappear  from  among  them. 

We  wondered  whether  all  the  machine  praying  is  con- 
fined to  the  Buddhists  of  the  Himalayas.  How  about  the 
form  of  words  that  some  Christians  fall  into  the  habit  of 
repeating  over  and  over  again,  having  neither  purpose  nor 
spirit?  Let  us  take  heed  lest  the  words  of  our  mouths  fall 
mechanically  from  our  lips  and  make  our  prayers  like  unto 
those  of  the  Buddhist,  whose  prayer  wheels  are  twirling  all 
about  the  Himalayas  to-da\-. 

Returning  again  to  the  hot,  stifling  air  of  Calcutta,  we 
arranged  for  our  departure  for  Madras  and  Ceylon.  Before 
going  we  visited  the  Botanical  Gardens  and  had  a  view  of 
Kalighat,  which  gave  its  name  to  Calcutta.  The  gardens 
are  said  to  be  the  finest  in  India  and  are  well  worth  a  visit. 
The  great  banian  tree  with  a  circumference  of  fifty-four  feet 
— whose  branches  and  descending  roots,  forming  additional 
trunks,  reach  out  to  a  circumference  of  about  three  hundred 
\'ards — is  the  center  of  attraction.  As  the  branches  grow 
from  the  parent  stem  they  throw  out  root-like  tendrils,  and 
these  grow  downward  until  the}'  reach  the  ground,  and  then 
take  root  and  form  the  body  of  a  tree.  So  the  process  goes 
on  until  a  large  tract  is  covered  by  a  single  banian  tree. 

Kalighat  is  four  miles  south  of  Calcutta,  and  here  the 
worship  of  Kali,  the  bloody  goddess  of  India,  is  engaged  in. 


H 

U 
< 

U 


< 
< 


TEMPLE   AT    KALIGHAT. 


457 


We  did  not  visit  the  temple,  but  gi\e  the  experience  of  one 
who  did.  The  legend  connected  \\ith  the  place  sa\'s  that 
when  "Kali,  wife  of  Shiva,  was  cut  in  pieces  b)'  order  of  the 
gods,  one  of  her  fingers  fell  here,  and  a  temple  was  raised 
in  her  honor.     The  present  temple  was  built  three  hundred 


KALI    AND    HER    DEMON    SPOUSE. 


years  ago,  and  renewed  in  1S09;  its  priests  are  called  '  Hal- 
dar,'  and  amass  great  wealth  from,  the  daily  offerings  of  pil- 
grims. There  are  man\'  festivals,  to  which  immense  crowds 
resort,  especiall}'  on  the  second  day  of  the  Durja  Puja,  the 
great    Bengali    religious    festival   in    honor  of  the   goddess, 


458  r.IRDI.TNT,    THE    GLOBE. 

held  at  the  autumnal  equinox.  The  street  off  which  the 
temple  lies  is  full  of  shops  for  the  sale  of  idol  pictures,  im- 
ages and  charms.  When  we  arrived,  sacrifices  were  being 
offered  in  the  midst  of  an  excited  crowd.  In  an  area  before 
the  temple  stood  the  priest,  and  beside  him  the  executioner, 
sword  in  hand.  We  saw  three  kids  and  two  buffaloes  sacri- 
ficed. The  head  of  the  victim  is  fastened  in  a  wooden  vise, 
its  body  is  held  up  b}-  the  hind  legs,  and  the  sacrificer 
strikes  with  his  sword.  If  the  head  is  severed  with  one 
stroke,  the  victim  is  considered  acceptable  to  the  goddess, 
and  its  blood  is  collected  b)'  the  priest,  carried  into  the 
shrine,  and  sprinkled  upon  her  huge  projecting  tongue.  We 
could  see  in  the  distance  the  hideous  idol  within,  its  tongue 
streaming  with  blood.  If  the  head  of  the  animal  is  not  sev- 
ered with  the  first  stroke,  it  is  considered  unacceptable,  and 
is  cast  aside.  The  officiating  Brahman,  almost  naked,  with 
the  sacred  cord  round  his  neck,  was  a  fierce-looking,  but 
very  shrewd  man.  He  could  speak  English.  W'e  found 
that  he  had  been  when  a  bo\'  five  years  at  the  Bhowanipore 
Mission  School,  and  that  a  near  kinsman  of  his  was  a  con- 
vert to  Christianity  and  a  missionary.  Upon  my  saying, 
'How  can  you  carry  on  these  revolting  rites?  You  know 
that  they  are  in  vain;'  'Yes,'  he  replied,  'I  know  it,  but  the 
people  will  have  it,  and  I  must  get  my  living.'  The  man 
evidentl}'  disbelieved  in  his  heathenism  and  might  be  a 
professor  of  Christianity  if  he  saw  it  would  pay." 

We  sailed  away  from  Calcutta  for  Madras  and  Ceylon's 
spicy  isle  on  the  4th  da}-  of  February  by  the  staunch  steam- 
er "Chusan,"  of  four  thousand  tons  burden  and  well  fitted 
for  the  comfort  of  the  passengers.  We  took  leave  of  north- 
ern India  and  of  our  missionaries  with  the  feeling  strong  up- 
on us  that  we  should  see  each  other's  faces  no  more  in  the 
flesh.     But  we  commended  them  and  ourselves  to  the  grace 


THE    HOOGHLY    RIVER.  459 

of  God,  who  is  able  to  keep  what  we  have  committed  to 
him  against  that  daw  In  the  evening  when  we  went  aboard 
the  boat,  as  we  were  entering  the  companionway,  I  had  the 
misfortune  to  make  a  misstep,  which  resulted  in  a  sprained 
back,  necessitating  close  confinement  in  the  stateroom  for 
several  da}s. 

From  the  City  of  Palaces  we  sailed  down  the  Hooghly 
river  some  ninety  miles  to  the  sea.  The  navigation  of  the 
stream  is  a  delicate  and  dangerous  business.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  treacherous  rivers  in  the  world,  and  many  a  good 
ship  lies  embedded  in  its  sand  and  mud.  The  stream,  after 
uniting  with  the  Ganges,  flows  into  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  the 
birthplace  and  home  of  the  cyclone  and  hurricane.  A  short 
distance  below  Calcutta,  thrown  up  by  the  swirl  of  the  river, 
is  a  great  sand  bar,  which  can  be  crossed  only  at  high  tide. 
Our  pilot  cast  anchor  before  reaching  the  bar,  and  our  ship 
rested  on  the  bosom  of  the  river  eighteen  hours  waiting  for 
high  tide  to  carr)'  us  over  the  dangerous  shoal.  The  day 
was  delightfulh'  cool,  and  the  delay  was  not  unpleasant. 
On  both  banks  of  the  stream  were  numerous  Bengali  vil- 
lages, each  nestling  in  its  grove  of  palms  and  bamboos.  The 
natives  could  be  seen  about  their  work,  and  the  scene  was  a 
pleasant  one.  At  last  the  anchors  were  lifted,  the  sand  bar 
crossed  in  safety,  and,  continuing  our  course  down  the 
stream,  we  saw  Sangor  Island,  the  paradise  of  the  tiger.  It 
is  said  the  place  is  full  of  these  ferocious  animals.  The 
stream  gradualh-  widens  and  we  steam  out  upon  the  yellow 
flood  of  the  Ganges,  bounded  on  both  sides  by  the  blue  wa- 
ters of  the  sea. 

The  voyage  from  Calcutta  to  Ce)lon,  by  way  of  Mad- 
ras, a  distance  of  some  fifteen  hundred  miles,  was  quiet  and 
tranquil.  The  cxclone  and  hurricane,  so  common  in  these 
tropical  waters,  came  not  to  disturb  our  peace  of  mind;  and 


460  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

day  after  da}-  the  "Chusan"  elided  over  the  blue  waters  of 
the  sleepinsj  ocean  on  her  way  to  Colombo.  A  cloudless 
sky,  from  which  the  sun  shone  with  ever-increasing  power 
as  we  ncared  the  equator,  made  a  striking  contrast  with  the 
sapphire  of  tlie  bay  which  was  broken  into  a  chain  of  beauti- 
ful silver-crested  ripples  by  schools  of  flying  fish  rising  and 
falling  as  the  ship  moved  on  her  course.  One  of  these  sin- 
gular fish,  taking  a  higher  flight  than  its  companions,  came 
through  an  open  porthole  and  was  found  in  one  of  the 
cabins.  It  served  a  }oung  lady  artist  on  board  the  ship  as  a 
model  for  a  fine  drawing  of  this  winged  denizen  of  the 
deep.  It  was  at  one  time  thought  that  the  fish  did  not  fiy, 
but  was  carried  into  the  air  from  the  crest  of  the  waves  by 
the  force  of  the  motion  secured  before  leaving  the  water, 
but  the)'  do  use  their  fin-like  wings  in  sailing  through  the 
air.  Hour  after  hour  we  watched  them  sporting  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  sea,  and  are  satisfied  that  the\-  do  use  their  large 
fins  as  the  bird  uses  its  wings  in  making  long  flights. 

And  now  we  cast  anchor  at  Madras,  the  one  important 
city  of  southern  India,  with  nearly  half  a  million  souls. 
How  it  ever  grew  to  its  present  importance  is  a  query  with 
all  who  visit  the  place.  Without  a  large  river,  without  a 
natural  harbor,  on  a  coast  swept  by  cyclones,  hurricanes 
and  tidal  waves,  Madras  has  clung  to  the  shore  of  the  sea 
until  it  has  become  one  of  the  leading  cities  of  India.  It  is 
only  thirteen  degrees  north  of  the  equator  and  the  people 
know  nothing  of  cold  weather  even  in  winter.  In  the  mid- 
summer months  the  heat  becomes  almost  intolerable. 

We  spent  only  time  enough  in  this  southern  capital  to 
gain  a  superficial  knouledge  of  its  surroundings.  The  im- 
pressions received  were  not  unpleasant.  We  drove  through 
the  parks  and  the  business  streets,  and  visited  some  of 
the  temples  and  found  that  in    a    general    way    Madras    is 


TEMPLE    OF   JUGGERNAUT.  461 

like  most  other  cities  of  India  alread\-  fully  described  in 
this  work. 

One  of  the  temples  visited  had  more  than  usual  inter- 
est. It  was  the  storeroom  of  the  well-known  car  of  Jugger- 
naut. Who  has  not  heard  of  this  great  car  and  of  the  peo- 
ple crushed  to  death  beneath  its  massive  wheels  in  the  fes- 
tival given  in  honor  of  the  lord  of  the  world,  as  the  people 
call  the  idol  whose  image  makes  the  great  car  so  hideous? 

The  largest  temple  of  Juggernaut  is  at  Buri,  and  is  on 2 
of  the  sights  of  India.  Within  the  large  enclosure  is  the 
idol,  with  his  brother  and  sister  on  either  side.  They  are 
the  most  hideous  caricatures  of  the  human  body  that  can 
well  be  imagined,  and  ma\-  be  described  as  nothing  but 
huge  logs  of  wood  roughly  carved  into  a  semblance  of  hu- 
man shape,  but  without  arms  or  legs.  Upon  inquiry  why 
the  god  has  been  deprived  of  these  necessar\'  parts  of  the 
body,  the  priest  in  charge  will  tell  you  that  the  lord  of  the 
world  has  no  need  of  arms  or  legs;  a  statement  easily  be- 
lieved after  getting  a  view  of  the  idol.  The  trio  form  the 
ugliest,  as  well  as  the  most  popular,  group  of  idols  in  India. 

Each  of  the  three  idols  has  a  special  car  for  its  own  use. 
The  great  car  designed  for  the  chief  god  is  fort\-five  feet 
high,  thirty-five  feet  square,  and  is  supported  b\'  sixteen 
broad  wheels,  each  seven  feet  in  diameter.  During  the  car 
festival  the  idol  is  brought  out  of  his  temple  and  placed  on 
the  immense  wagon.  According  to  a  commom  belief,  ele- 
phants, horses  or  oxen  must  not  be  used  to  draw  the  car. 
Four  thousand,  two  hundred  men  arc  selected  for  the  pur- 
pose of  dragging  the  huge  structure.  It  is  deemed  a  great 
honor  to  be  chosen  for  this  purpose,  and  those  who  do  the 
work  are  kept  at  Puri  free  of  expense  during  the  festival. 

One  of  the  missionaries  who  witnessed  the  dragging  of 
the  car  sa^s  that  it  is  a  remarkable  sight.     Immense  ropes,  or 


■X. 


VOLUNTARY   SACRIFICE.  463 

rather  cables,  are  manufactured  and  attached  to  the  car,  and 
at  the  word  of  command  from  the  priests,  the  thousands 
rush  forward,  seize  the  ropes  and  arrange  themselves  in  the 
order  of  march,  and  the  next  moment  are  straining  and  pull- 
ing at  the  cumbersome  conveyance,  which  at  length  moves 
with  a  heavy,  creaking  noise.  The  road  over  which  the  car 
is  dragged  is  crowded  with  tens  of  thousands  of  excited 
spectators,  all  wild  with  fanaticism,  some  of  whom  are  even 
willing  to  attest  their  faith  in  Juggernaut  by  throwing  them- 
selves beneath  the  great  wheels  of  the  moving  car  and  being 
crushed  to  death.  Cases  of  this  kind  are  now  of  very  rare 
occurrence,  and  are  rather  the  result  of  accident  than  of  in- 
tentional self-immolation.  The  British  government  now 
takes  great  care  to  prevent  accidents  of  this  kind.  When 
the  festival  takes  place  police  officers  surround  the  car  to 
keep  the  excited  throng  away  from  the  wheels. 

Mr.  Tac\-,  a  missionary  at  Puri,  once  saw  a  man  crushed 
b\'  the  car,  and  has  this  to  say  of  the  horrible  spectacle: 
"  This  afternoon  I  had  an  awful  subject  for  my  discourse, — 
the  body  of  a  man  crushed  to  pieces  by  the  car  Juggernaut. 
The  massive  wheels  had  passed  over  his  loins,  and  he  pre- 
sented a  shocking  sight  to  look  upon.  The  wheels  of  the 
car  are  made  for  this  work  of  death  most  effectually,  as 
the  spokes  project  three  or  four  inches  beyond  the  felloe. 
The  poor  wretch  had  thrown  himself  from  the  front  of  the 
car,  and  so  was  a  voluntary  sacrifice.  He  seemed  a  respect- 
able man,  apparently  a  Brahman.  I  felt  I  ought  not  to  lose 
such  an  opportunit}'  of  witnessing  against  a  system  that 
produced  suoh  effects;  so  I  took  my  stand  over  the  body, 
and  spoke  with  some  feeling  of  the  nature  of  the  Hindu  re- 
ligion and  compared  it  with  Christianit)-;  and  perhaps  I 
never  had  a  more  serious  congregation.  .Some  hardened 
wretches  standing  b\-  said,  '  See,  sir,   the  glory  of  Jugger- 


TAX    ON    IDOLATRY.  465 

naut,'  pointing  to  the  mangled  body.  I  concluded  by  re- 
buking them,  and  recommending  them  to  look  to  Jesus 
Christ  for  mercy  and  salvation  which  Juggernaut  could 
never  give." 

The  most  remarkable  thing  about  the  worship  of  Jug- 
gernaut is  the  great  number  of  Hindus  that  make  the  pil- 
grimages to  Puri  to  be  present  at  the  festivals.  A  Hindu 
gentleman  who  spent  his  life  at  Puri  is  authority  for  the 
statement  that  the  number  who  flock  to  the  temple  never 
falls  short  of  fifty  thousand  a  year,  and  that  three  hundred 
thousand  is  the  usual  number  of  strangers  present  at  the 
car  festival.  Some  visitors  aver  that  these  figures  are  too 
low,  and  that  from  a  half  to  one  million  human  beings  are 
present  at  the  great  festivals  given  each  }ear  to  Juggernaut 
on  the  shores  of  the  Bay  of  Bengal. 

The  government,  seeing  the  great  masses  of  people 
coming  up  to  the  temple  each  year,  determined  to  place  a 
tax  on  each  one  and  thus  secure  a  rev^enue.  When  the  Mo- 
hammedans were  supreme  rulers  of  India,  it  is  said  they 
secured  half  a  million  dollars  in  this  way.  The  British  gov- 
ernment continued  the  tax  for  some  years,  but  finally,  from 
a  sense  of  shame,  it  is  presumed,  gave  up  the  income  re- 
ceived from  a  tax  placed  on  idolatry.  At  the  present  time 
all  taxes  and  fees  paid  by  the  pilgrims,  amounting,  it  is 
said,  to  a  quarter  of  a  million  annually,  are  divided  between 
the  rajah — local  governor  of  the  district — and  the  priests. 
"  The  richer  pilgrims  heap  gold  and  silver  and  jewels  at  the 
feet  of  the  god,  or  spread  .before  him  charters  and  title- 
deeds  conveying  rich  lands  in  distant  provinces.  Every 
one,  from  the  richest  to  the  poorest,  gives  beyond  his  abili- 
t}-;  many  cripple  their  fortunes  for  the  rest  of  their  lives  in 
a  frenzy  of  liberality;  and  hundreds  die  on  their  way  home 


466  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

from    not    having    kept    enough    to  support  them  on   their 
journey." 

Such  is  a  brief  account  (if  the  worship  of  the  armless 
and  legless  image  of  the  Hindus'  so-called  lord  of  the 
world.  As  we  looked  at  the  car  of  Juggernaut,  one 
thought  came  to  us  stronger  than  all  others,  and  that  was, 
Can  it  be  possible  that  men  and  women,  created  in  the  im- 
age and  the  likeness  of  the  living  God,  can  be  satisfied  to 
worship  these  hideous  idols?  It  is  too  true.  And  then  we 
thought,  Such  as  these  are  would  we  be,  were  it  not  for  the 
blessed  religion  of  Jesus  Christ.  We  need  only  go  back  to 
the  earl\'  centuries  of  our  era  to  find  our  ancestors  worship- 
ing idols  in  northern  Europe.  In  their  sacred  groves  were 
the  images  of  Wodan,  Thor,  Fria,  Saetere  and  Tiw.  To 
these  our  forefathers  offered  sacrifice,  and  we  have  their 
names  perpetuated  to  us  in  five  of  the  days  of  our  week. 
Let  these  facts  impress  upon  our  minds  the  truth  that  but 
for  the  religion  of  Jesus  we  should  be  idolaters  to-da)-,  as 
are  the  Hindus;  and  that  as  the  missionaries  of  the  cross 
brought  the  Gospel  to  our  fathers,  so  it  is  our  duty  to  send 
the  light  to  the  nations  still  in  heathen  darkness. 


si 

X 

D 
O 
C/3 


O 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


Madras  to  Coiot/ibo  —  The  Isle  of  Spice  —  Peculiar  Boats  —  The  Beau- 
ty of  Ceyloft  —  The  finrikisha  —  The  Ciiiiiamon  Gardctis  —  Nttt- 
megs  ajtd  Cloves  —  Cocoaniits  —  The  Utility  of  the  Cocoa  Palm  — 
Precious  Stones  —  Pearl  Fisheries. 

"What  though  the  spicy  breezes 
Blow  soft  o'er  Ceylon's  isle, 
Though  every  prospect  pleases, 
And  only  man  is  vile," 

Sang  good  Bishop  Heber  more  than  seventy  years  ago, 
when,  as  a  missionary,  he  first  visited  the  beautiful  island  of 
Ceylon,  which  has  been  called,  not  inappropriateh,  "The 
Pearl  of  India."  In  prospect  the  island  pleases  every  be- 
holder, but  "  the  spicy  breezes"  are  to  be  set  down  to  poet- 
ical fanc}'  or  license.  The  cinnamon  shrub,  the  nutmeg  and 
clove  trees,  the  pepper  vine  and  other  spices  give  out  no 
fragrance  until  they  are  gathered,  or  the  trees  and  shrubs 
are  crushed. 

The  journey  from  Madras  to  Colombo,  b\'  large  ocean 
steamer,  takes  two  days.  There  is  a  narrow  passage  crossed 
in  a  single  night  b}'  the  small  mail  steamers  which  ply  be- 
tween- the  coast  of  India  and  Ceylon,  but  the  depth  of  water 
is  not  sufficient  for  the  "Chusan,"  and  we  take  the  longer 
route,  coasting  around  the  island,  from  north  to  south,  until 
we  arc  but  five  degrees  from  the  equator.  The  first  evening 
out  we  encountered  a  genuine  tropical  rainstorm.  The  ex- 
pression, "the  rain  came  down  in  torrents,"  so  commonly 
used  at  home,  but  feebh'  describes  a  heavy  rainfall  in  this 

latitude.     The  air  was  literall)'  a  sheet  of  descending  water. 

(468) 


COLOMBO.  469 

The  officers  of  the  ship,  unable  to  see  the  prow  of  the  boat 
from  the  bridge,  stopped  the  engines  and  we  lay  to  until 
the  storm  was  over.  The  rain  was  unaccompanied  by  wind, 
and  after  witnessing  the  downpour  of  water  we  could  well 
believe  the  statement  that  it  is  not  an  unusual  occurrence  to 
have  from  ten  to  twelve  inches  of  rainfall  in  a  few  hours  in 
the  tropics. 

Ceylon  is  about  one-half  as  large  as  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois, having  an  area  of  twenty-five  thousand  square  miles. 
The  population  is  a  little  over  three  million,  of  whom  less 
than  six  thousand  are  pure-bred  Europeans.  The  island  is 
rich  in  all  kinds  of  tropical  vegetation  and  is  of  unsurpassed 
natural  beaut)-. 

It  was  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  the  "Chu- 
san"  steamed  into  the  harbor  of  Colombo,  which  was  crowd- 
ed with  ships  from  all  parts  of  the  world;  but  the  craft  that 
occupied  the  most  attention  were  the  native  boats.  The 
canoe  itself  is  but  a  foot  and  a  half  wide,  with  only  room 
enough  inside  for  the  feet  and  the  legs  of  the  occupants. 
To  this  is  fastened,  by  two  bent  spars  about  six  feet  long,  a 
log  which  balances  the  boat  and  keeps  it  from  upsetting. 
These  odd-looking  boats,  driven  before  the  v/ind  by  a  single 
sail,  cut  through  the  water  with  wonderful  speed.  In 
stormy  weather  a  man  squats  on  the  log  to  give  the  craft 
greater  steadiness. 

Colombo,  the  capital,  principal  cit}-  and  port  of  the 
island,  is  beautifully  situated  on  the  seashore,  amidst  groves 
of  palms,  bamboos  and  other  fine  shade  trees.  The  popula- 
tion numbers  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand,  and 
the  city  enjo}'s  a  large  trade  in  tea,  coffee,  spices,  cocoanuts 
and  other  articles  of  export.  On  the  street  one  sees  a  mixed 
crowd  of  busy  people.  Here  are  the  native  Cingalese,  with 
Moors,  Malays,   Tamils,   Brahmans,    Burmese  and  a  slight 


4/0  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

admixture  of  Europeans.  The  natives  of  tlie  island  have  a 
dress  peculiar  to  themselves.  The  men  wear  a  dark-colored 
coat  or  jacket  over  a  kind  of  white  frock  or  skirt.  Their 
long,  black  hair  is  combed  back  from  the  temples  and  is 
kept  in  place  by  a  circular  comb  of  tortoise  shell.  The 
women  wear  plaid  skirts  of  various  colors,  a  loose,  white 
jacket,  and  secure  their  hair  in  a  roll  or  knot. 

Upon  landing  we  found  that  the  hotels  were  crowded, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  the  Governor  General  had  just  ar- 
rived from  England.  We  thought  for  a  time  that  it  would 
be  impossible  to  find  a  lodging  place,  but,  after  going  a 
mile  from  the  principal  part  of  the  cit\-,  we  found  a  very 
pleasant  home  at  the  Galle  Face  hotel,  where  we  spent  sev- 
eral weeks.  Our  home  was  on  the  seashore  in  a  large  grove 
of  cocoanut  palms,  and  although  we  were  ver\'  close  to  the 
equator  the  sea  breeze  made  the  place  delightfully  pleasant. 
The  thermometer  never  rose  above  86  by  day  or  went  below 
76  at  night.  In  a  temperature  like  this,  with  plenty  of  rain 
to  keep  the  earth  moist,  the  growth  of  vegetation  is  some- 
thing marvelous.  We  are  tempted  to  quote,  in  part,  Ar- 
nold's description  of  the  place. 

It  is  impossible  to  exaggerate  the  natural  beauty  of 
Ceylon!  Belted  with  a  double  girdle  of  golden  sands  antl 
waving  palm-groves,  the  interior  is  one  vast  garden  of  na- 
ture, deliciously  disposed  into  plain  and  highland,  valley 
and  peak,  where  almost  everything  known  to  the  tropical 
world  grows  under  a  sky  glowing  with  an  equatorial  sun, 
yet  tempered  by  the  cool  sea  winds.  Colombo  itself,  out- 
side the  actual  town,  is  a  perfect  labyrinth  of  shady  bowers 
and  flowery  lakes  and  streams.  For  miles  and  miles  },'ou 
drive  about  under  arbors  of  feathery  bamboos,  broad-leaved 
breadfruit  trees,  talipot  and  areca  palms,  cocoanut  groves, 
and  stretches  of  rice  fields,  cinnamon,  and  sugar-cane,  amid 


< 

X 
in 


X 


STUDIES    OF    TROPICAL    NATURE.  4/3 

which  at  night  the  fireflies  dart  about  in  glittering  clusters. 
The  lowliest  hut  is  embosomed  in  palm  fronds  and  the 
bright,  crimson  blossoms  of  the  hibiscus;  while,  wherever 
intelligent  cultivation  aids  the  prolific  forces  of  nature,  there 
is  enough  in  the  profusion  of  nutmegs  and  allspice,  of  the 
India  rubber  and  cinchonas,  of  cannas,  dracoenas,  crotons, 
and  other  wonders  of  the  Cingalese  flora  to  give  an  endless 
and  delightful  stud\-  to  the  lover  of  nature. 

The  lanes  and  carriage  drives  about  Colombo  are  con- 
tinuous studies  of  tropical  nature  at  her  brightest.  Delight- 
ful it  is  to  ride  or  drive  under  league-long  avenues  of  giant 
bamboos,  and  palms  loaded  with  green  and  yellow  cocoa- 
nuts;  to  see  the  most  splendid  exotic  sprays  of  bloom,  of  all 
conceivable  hues  and  perfumes,  running  riot  everywhere. 
It  gives,  in  truth,  a  new  conception  of  the  bount)'  of  crea- 
tion, to  explore  those  dark-green  alleys  of  Colombo,  to  cut 
a  branch  from  the  glossy  cinnamon  and  taste  its  fragrant 
bark;  to  break  out  the  new-veined  nutmeg  from  its  shell  of 
scarlet  mace;  to  send  \our  willing  Cingalese  bo)'  into  the 
crown  of  the  cocoanut  tree,  and  to  receive  nut  after  nut  full 
of  sweet,  fresh  milk;  to  bu}'  pine-apples  a  foot  long  for  a  few 
pennies  and  get  vegetable  breakfast-rolls  from  the  bread- 
fruit tree;  to  watch  ripe  bananas  sold  b\"  the  cartload,  and 
see  flowers  everywhere  of  the  loveliest  hues  and  forms,  which 
would  be  costly  exotics  at  home,  draping  every  cottage 
door,  and  running  wild  over  every  hedge;  to  find  the  grass 
beneath  \our  feet  carpeted  by  the  sensitive  plant,  which 
shrinks  like  a  live  thing  if  }ou  touch  it  with  your  foo-t  or 
stick  in  passing;  to  rest  beneath  a  jack-fruit  tree,  laden  with 
vast,  scaly  fruit,  growing  monstrousl}'  out  of  the  trunk;  to 
sit  on  the  bench  with  the  cinchona  boughs  on  one  hand  and 
the  graceful  tulip  branches  on  the  other,  and  an  avenue 
of  mahogan\-  trees  behind,  having  twenty  different  species 


474  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

of  palms  within  view;  }'et  all  this  and  more  \-ou  may  see  al- 
most anywhere  within  the  environs  of  Colombo. 

At  Colombo  we  enjoyed,  or  rather,  were  compelled  to 
submit  to,  a  ride  in  a  jinrikisha,  or  'ricksha  as  the  vehicle  is 
called  all  over  the  East.  The  word  means  literally  "  man 
power  carriage."  It  is  a  small,  two-wheeled  vehicle  with  a 
top  exacth'  like  those  on  our  buggies  at  home.  It  has 
springs  and  a  comfortable  seat  for  one  occupant,  and  is 
drawn  by  a  man  who  holds  the  shafts  in  his  hands  and  pulls 
you  along  at  the  rate  of  from  four  to  six  miles  an  hour.  It 
seems  so  much  out  of  place  to  be  hauled  around  by  men 
instead  of  horses  that  it  w-as  some  time  before  we  could  feel 
at  all  comfortable  in  the  jinrikisha.  But  it  is  the  only  mode 
of  conveyance  for  short  distances,  and  as  the  men  were  so 
glad  to  pull  us,  in  order  to  earn  a  little  money,  we  soon  fell 
in  with  this  custom  of  the  country.  The  expense  of  riding 
is  about  the  same  as  one  pa\s  on  the  street-cars  at  home- 
For  long  distances  the  charge  is  fifteen  cents  per  hour. 

Our  first  ride  was  through  the  cinnamon  gardens,  and 
along  the  beautiful  palm  avenues.  Perhaps  in  no  other 
place  in  the  world  could  such  a  delightful  ride  or  drive  be 
enjoyed.  The  avenues  are  delightfully  shaded  and  the 
roads  are  as  smooth  as  a  floor. 

In  the  great  riches  of  material  found  in  the  Island  of 
Spices,  from  which  to  glean  for  our  readers,  we  are  more  at 
a  loss  as  to  what  we  shall  leave  undescribed  than  as  to  what 
we  shall  describe.  An  interesting  volume  might  be  written 
descriptive  of  Ceylon.  Our  space  gives  us  opportunit}'  to 
refer  to  only  a  few  of  the  things  which  so  much  interested 
us  during  our  two  weeks'  sta)-  on  the  beautiful  island  of  the 
sea. 

On  the  west  coast  of  Ceylon  cinnamon  is  largely  cul- 
tivated  for  export,  there  being  about    thirt}--five    thousand 


CINNAMON    TREE.  475 

acres  of  ground  devoted  to  the  culture  of  the  spice.  It  is 
probabl}'  a  native  of  Ce}-lon.  In  1894  the  export  of  the 
spice  was  nearly  three  million  pounds,  valued  at  about  four 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  or  a  little  over  thirteen  cents  a 
pound  to  the  planter.  In  London  the  bark  of  the  first  qual- 
ity sells  in  large  lots  at  about  forty  cents  per  pound,  while 
at  home,  in  a  small  retail  way,  the  consumer  pa)s  five  cents 
per  ounce  for  it, — a  wide  range  of  margin  between  what  the 
producer  gets  and  what  the  consumer  pays. 

Cinnamon  is  referred  to  in  the  Bible,  Exodus  30:  23, 
where  God  directs  Moses  to  use  spice,  with  other  things,  in 
compounding  the  holy  oil,  or  ointment,  with  which  Aaron 
and  his  sons  were  anointed.  Reference  is  also  made  to  it  in 
Proverbs  7:  17,  Songs  of  Solomon  4:  14,  and  Revelations 
18:13. 

In  Bible  times  Rome  traded  with  India  and  Ceylon, 
and  cinnamon  was  one  of  the  spices  carried  over  the  desert 
on  camels,  boated  across  the  Red  Sea  and  then,  packed 
again  on  the  back  of  the  faithful  ship  of  the  desert,  it  was 
taken  to  the  Nile  and  floated  down  to  the  sea.  Here  it  was 
loaded  on  ships  and  taken  to  Puteoli,  where  Paul  landed, 
and  was  then  carried  to  the  Imperial  City  of  the  Cssars. 

In  those  olden  da)'s  the  odors  of  the  far-famed  cinna- 
mon bark  came  to  be  associated  with  "  Araby  the  blest." 
In  the  time  of  Augustus  Cassar  the  fragrant  bark  sold  in 
Rome  for  the  enormous  sum  of  forty  dollars  a  pound. 

The  cinnamon  tree,  or  shrub,  is  kept  well  pruned,  so 
that  it  does  not  grow  more  than  ten  feet  high.  The  leaves 
are  large  and  of  a  dark  green  color.  The  shoots  from  which 
the  bark  is  taken  are  allowed  to  grow  two  or  chree  years, 
until  they  are  eight  or  ten  feet  in  height.  They  are  then  cut 
down,  the  leaves  and  small  twigs  trimmed  off,  and  the  stem 
cut  into  pieces   each  about  one  foot  in   length.     The  cinna- 


47^  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

mon  peeler  inserts  the  thin  blade  of  a  knife  between  the 
bark  and  wood,  and  carefully  peels  it  off  in  cylindrical 
pieces.  These  are  placed  one  within  another  and  the  bark 
is  tied  up  into  bundles.  It  is  now  laid  away  until  it  passes 
through  the  sweating  process.  This  makes  it  possible  to 
remove  the  very  thin  outer  bark,  which  is  done  by  placing 
each  piece  on  a  stick  separately  and  then  carefully  scraping 
it.  After  this  the  smaller  pieces  are  placed  within  the  larger 
ones,  which  curl  around  them  and  form  the  solid  stick  of 
cinnamon  so  well  known  to  all.  The  fragrant  spice  is  tied 
in  bundles  and  placed  in  matting  made  of  the  palm  tree, 
and  is  then  ready  for  export. 

Nutmegs  and  cloves  are  also  grown  in  Ceylon,  but  not 
so  largely  as  the  spice  which  we  have  been  considering. 
The  trees  bearing  these  spices  grow  quite  large,  that  of  the 
nutmeg  resembling  in  size  the  walnut  tree.  The  nut  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  thick  outer  hull,  which  opens  in  sections  like 
the  hull  on  the  shellbark.  The  nutmeg  is  covered  inside 
the  outer  hull  with  a  thin  lacing  of  a  yellow-colored  spice, 
known  as  mace.  We  picked  a  number  of  these  nuts  from 
the  trees  and  removed  the  outer  hull,  allowing  the  mace  to 
remain  in  its  place. 

The  clove  tree  bears  abundantly  in  the  great  gardens  at 
Paredenia,  near  Kandy.  After  the  bloom  falls  off,  the  min- 
iature clove  is  to  be  seen  on  the  trees.  It  forms  without 
hull,  and  when  fully  matured  is  of  a  dark  green  color. 
They  are  gathered  and  dried,  and  in  the  drying  process  turn 
to  the  dark-brown  color  as  we  find  them  when  in  the  retail 
stores.  Zanzibar  furnishes  the  world  with  cloves,  shipping 
as  many  as  twenty-eight  million  pounds  a  year. 

Pepper  and  allspice  are  also  produced  in  Cejdon  in 
small  quantities.  These  grow  on  vines  and  are  cultivated 
in  some  parts  of  the  island.     Other  spices  grow  in  sufficient 


COCOANUT    PALM.  '  477 

quantities   in  Ceylon  to  entitle  it  to  the  name  it  bears  in 
Heber's  missionary  hymn. 

But  of  all  the  trees  and  shrubs  that  grow  on  the  island, 
none  are  more  extensively  cultivated  than  the  cocoanut 
palm,  and  this  because  of  its  value  and  the  multiplied  uses 
made  of  its  products. 

At  the  Galle  Face  Hotel  we  picked  up  a  report  of  hor- 
ticulture of  Ceylon,  and  among  other  things  learned  that  the 
cocoanut  palm  has  these  as  well  as  many  other  uses:  The 
leaves  are  used  for  roofing,  for  mats,  for  baskets,  torches, 
fuel,  brooms,  fodder  for  cattle,  and  manure;  the  stem  of  the 
leaf  for  fences,  for  yokes,  for  carrying  burdens  on  the 
shoulders,  for  fishing  rods,  and  for  man\'  domestic  utensils; 
the  cabbage,  or  cluster  of  unexpanded  leaves,  for  pickles 
and  preserves;  the  sap  for  todd\',  for  distilling  arrack,  and 
for  making  vinegar  and  sugar;  the  unformed  nut  for  medi- 
cine and  sweetmeats;  the  young  nut  and  its  milk  for  drink- 
ing, for  dessert,  and  the  green  husks  for  preserves;  the  nut 
for  eating,  for  curry,  and  the  milk  for  cooking;  the  oil  for 
rheumatism,  anointing  the  hair  and  the  body,  for  soap,  for 
candles  and  for  lamps;  and  the  refuse  of  the  nut,  after  ex- 
pressing the  oil,  for  feeding  cattle  and  poultry;  the  shell  of 
the  nut  for  drinking-cups,  charcoal,  tooth-powder,  spoons, 
medicine,  pipes,  beads,  bottles,  and  knife  handles;  the  fibre, 
which  envelops  the  shell  within  the  outer  husk,  for  mat- 
tresses, cushions,  ropes,  cables,  cordage,  canvas,  fishing- 
nets,  fuel,  brushes,  oakum  and  floor-mats;  the  trunk  of  the 
tree  for  rafters,  laths,  sail-boats,  troughs,  furniture,  fire 
wood,  and,  when  very  young,  the  first  shoots  or  cabbage  as 
vegetables  for  the  table. 

The  foregoing  are  only  a  few  of  the  many  uses  to  which 
the  cocoanut  palm  is  adapted.  It  is,  perhaps,  more  gener- 
ally cultivated   in  Ce\lon  than  in  other  parts  of  the  world. 


478  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

In  1894  it  was  estimated  that  there  were  nearly  a  million 
acres  planted  with  the  nut-bearing  palm.  The  estimated 
number  of  trees  was  si.\t\-eight  million,  and  the  production 
of  nuts,  as  given  b)-  one  authority,  exceeded  a  thousand 
million  annuall\'.  The  exports  of  the  product  of  the  cocoa- 
nut  palm  reaches  an  annual  value  of  nearly  six  million  dol- 
lars. 

The  nut,  when  taken  from  the  tree,  is  full  of  milk,  and 
furnishes  the  thirsty  traveler  with  a  refreshing  draught.  At 
any  of  the  plantations  )'ou  may  buy  them  fresh  from  the 
trees  for  a  few  cents  each.  If  one  is  hungry  and  thirsty, 
both  conditions  ma)-  be  relieved  with  one  of  the  large  Cey- 
lon cocoanuts. 

The  natives  of  Ceylon  are  a  very  pleasant  people. 
They  are  kind  and  courteous  to  strangers  and  make  a  favor- 
able impression  upon  those  who  visit  them.  We  were  out 
walking  on  one  of  the  beautiful  palm-shaded  avenues.  It 
was  evening  time  and  the  fresh  sea  breeze  cooled  the  tropi- 
cal atmosphere  and  made  the  walk  decidedly  pleasant. 
Just  in  front  of  us  was  a  Cingalese  lady.  Her  hair  was 
raven  black  and  its  wealth  was  rolled  up  in  a  knot  at  the 
back  of  the  head.  On  top  was  a  circular  comb  of  tortoise 
shell.  She  had  on  a  striped  skirt,  coming  down  to  the 
ankles,  with  a  white  blouse  covering  the  body.  As  we  came 
nearer  to  the  figure,  it  turned  around  and  faced  us.  Judge 
of  our  surprise  when  we  saw  the  bearded  face  of  a  man. 
Our  w^ell-dressed  lady  turned  out  to  be  a  Cingalese  gentle- 
man. 

The  men  wear  the  hair  long.  We  have  seen  some  with 
hair  three  feet  in  length.  It  is  as  black  as  the  raven's  wing; 
no  such  black  hair  being  seen  among  the  Caucasians.  It  is 
rolled  up  on  a  knot  and  on  top  of  the  head  is  worn  the  tor- 
toise shell  comb.     This,   with   the  long   skirt   and   blouse. 


w 


48o  GIRDLINC.    THE    GLOBE. 

gives  the  men  a  decidedh'  feminine  appearance.  One  can 
no  more  form  a  correct  opinion  of  a  person  here  by  outward 
appearances  than  at  home. 

Seventy-five  miles  inland  from  Colombo  is  the  city  of 
Kandy,  the  center  of  the  Buddhist  religion.  We  decided 
to  see  something  of  the  inner  part  of  the  island  of  spices, 
and  spent  some  days  in  making  an  excursion  to  the  interior. 
A  good  railway  connects  Kandy  with  the  sea  coast.  After 
leaving  Colombo  and  crossing  the  coast  plain,  covered  ev- 
erywhere with  tropical  luxuriance,  the  railway  winds  its  way 
upward  among  the  hills  and  mountains  amidst  scenery  Al- 
pine in  its  grandeur  with  the  added  beauty  of  the  rich  vege- 
tation and  flowers  of  Ce)lon.  Among  these  hills  and 
mountains  the  elephant  abounded  at  one  time,  but  now  is 
to  be  rarely  seen  in  a  wild  state.  Like  the  American  buffa- 
lo, this  monster  of  the  tropical  zone  vanishes  upon  the  ap- 
proach of  the  whites.  The  Ceylon  elephant  is  not  so  large 
as  his  African  brother,  and  seldom  has  the  great  ivory  tusk 
so  highly  prized  in  the  latter. 

In  the  valleys  we  pass  innumerable  rice  fields  and  on 
the  mountain  sides  great  tea  plantations.  The  laborers  in 
the  field  are  Tamils  brought  over  from  southern  India,  at- 
tracted b\'  the  higher  wages  paid  in  Ceylon.  They  are  car- 
ried at  reduced  rates  by  the  railways,  and  children  under 
four  feet  in  height  are  charged  half  fare.  At  home  children 
under  twelve  are  carried  at  half  fare.  If  the  measuring  rule 
were  adopted  more  fares  would  be  collected.  You  can't 
shrink  a  foot  measure  as  you  can  the  years  of  a  boy  or  girl. 

Kandy  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  little  cities  in  Cey- 
lon. It  is  nestled  among  the  thick  wooded  hills  fifteen 
hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  A  beautiful  artifi- 
cial lake  adds  to  the  beauty  of  the  surroundings.  The  cli- 
mate is  delightful,  the  elevation  making  it  cooler  than  the 


o 

a 


TEMPLE    OF    DALADA.  483 

plains,  and  the  scenery  is  charming.  I  do  not  know  a  more 
delightful  place  so  far  as  scenery  and  climate  are  concerned 
than  Kandy.  It  is  a  summer  resort  for  the  Europeans  who 
spend  the  cooler  months  on  the  coast. 

On  the  borders  of  the  lake  is  found  the  temple  of 
Dalada,  the  shrine  of  Buddha's  tooth.  The  building  is  not 
imposing  but  it  is  the  very  center  of  Buddhism.  It  is 
claimed  that  the  eyetooth  of  Buddha  is  enshrined  in  the 
temple.  This  relic  of  Gautama  has  a  curious  histor}'.  It 
was  brought  to  Ce)'lon  A.  D.  310.  It  was  afterwards  taken 
back  to  India,  but  at  a  later  date  restored  again  to  Kandy. 
When  the  Portuguese  missionaries  went  to  Ceylon  in  the 
sixteenth  century  they  secured  the  tooth  and  in  the  pres- 
ence of  witnesses  reduced  it  to  powder  and  scattered  the 
powder  to  the  four  winds  of  the  heaven.  The  records  of  the 
Portuguese  show  that  this  was  done  because  the  tooth  was 
an  object  of  worship.  But  the  priests  of  Kandy  produced 
another  tooth,  which  they  claimed  was  the  real  relic,  and 
that  the  one  taken  b\-  the  Portuguese  was  only  a  counterfeit. 
It  was  conveyed  to  Dalada  with  much  pomp  and  ceremony 
amidst  great  rejoicing  b)^  the  people.  When  the  English 
took  possession  of  Kandy  in  181 5  they  allowed  the  priests 
to  retain  possession  of  the  relic.  "  The  sanctuary  in  which 
it  reposes  is  a  small  chamber  without  a  ray  of  light,  in 
which  the  air  is  stifling  hot,  and  heavy  with  the  perfume  of 
flowers,  situated  in  the  inmost  recesses  of  the  temple.  The 
frames  of  the  doors  of  this  chamber  are  inlaid  with  carved 
ivory,  and  on  a  massive  silver  table,  three  feet  six  inches 
high,  stands. the  bell-shaped  shrine,  jewelled  and  hung  round 
with  chains,  and  consisting  of  six  cases,  the  largest  five 
feet  high,  formed  of  silver,  gilt  and  inlaid  with  rubies;  the 
others  are  similarl}-  wrought,  but  diminish  in  size  gradually, 
until,  on  removing  the  innermost  one,  about  a  foot  in  height, 


484  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

a  fToldcn  lotus  is  disclosed,  011  which  reposes  the  tooth.  In 
front  of  the  silver  altar  is  a  table  upon  which  worshipers  de- 
posit their  gifts. 

Three  miles  from  Kandy  is  the  Paradenia  Botanical 
Garden  covering  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  where  is  to 
be  found  the  finest  collection  of  tropical  vegetation  in  the 
world.  A  fine  avenue  of  India  rubber  trees  leads  up  to  a 
wealth  of  palms  of  almost  every  known  variety.  We  spent 
hours  in  the  beautiful  garden  and  wondered  whether  the  Gar- 
den of  Eden  made  for  our  first  parents  was  more  beautiful. 
Indeed  tradition  says  that  Eden  was  located  here.  Not  far 
away  is  Adam's  peak,  the  highest  mountain  on  the  island,  to 
which  it  is  claimed  Adam  fled  after  being  expelled  from  the 
garden,  hence  the  name  of  the  mountain.  Of  course  this  is 
all  legendar}',  but  not  out  of  harmony  with  the  beauty  of  the 
place. 

We  visited  a  large  tea  plantation  in  the  vicinity  of 
Paradenia  and  were  much  interested  in  seeing  the  cultivation 
and  manufacture  of  tea.  A  field  planted  with  the  tea  shrub 
presents  a  lively  appearance  during  the  picking  season. 
Our  photogravure  will  present  more  clearly  the  scene  to  the 
reader.  The  pickers  each  have  a  large  basket  which,  when 
filled  with  the  tender  leaves,  is  carried  to  the  factory,  locat- 
ed in  the  centre  of  the  grounds.  Here  the  leaves  are  placed 
on  cloth  frames  under  roof  for  the  w  ilting  process.  When 
they  are  plucked  from  the  stalk  the  leaves  are  crisp  and 
easily  broken.  After  lying  on  the  frames  for  a  day  they 
wilt  and  become  tough  so  that  the}'  may  be  rolled.  After 
wilting  the  tea  is  passed  through  the  rollers.  These  are 
large  steel  plates  turning  in  opposite  direction.  As  it 
passes  between  these  revolving  plates  the  tea  is  rolled  up 
and  shaped  as  it  comes  to  us  ready  for  steeping.  Next 
comes  the   firing  process  where  the  product  is  thoroughly 


Q 
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Q 
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Q 

O 

J 


486  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

dried.  It  is  then  boxed  ready  for  shipment.  The  manager 
of  the  tea  plantation  received  us  very  kindly  and  gave  us 
every  facility  for  looking  into  the  tea  business.  Of  one 
thing  the  lovers  of  tea  may  rest  assured.  Ceylon  tea  is  pure 
and  clean.  The  same  cannot  be  said  of  the  Chinese  product 
which  is  rolled  by  hands  at  best  never  clean. 

The  mountains  about  Kandy  abound  in  gems,  for  Cey- 
lon is  not  only  the  land  of  spices,  but  of  pearls  and  precious 
stones  as  well.  It  has  had  many  names  given  it,  among 
which  are  "a  pearl  on  the  brow  of  India,"  "  the  island  of 
jewels,"  and  "  the  land  of  the  jacinth  and  ruby."  These 
names  were  given  the  island  because  of  the  many  pearls 
found  in  its  waters,  and  precious  stones  in  its  hills  and  val- 
leys.  The  place  has  also,  not  without  good  reason,  been  as- 
sociated with  the  Land  of  Ophir  named  in  the  Bible,  to 
which  Solomon's  ships  came  in  quest  of  gold  and  silver, 
ivory,  apes,  peacocks,  almug  trees,  or  sandal  wood,  and 
precious  stones.*  It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  note  in  this  connec- 
tion that  Ceylon  and  the  coast  of  India  at  one  time  fur- 
nished all  the  products  named  in  the  Bible  as  being  brought 
from  Ophir. 

No  sooner  were  we  comfortabl)'  settled  in  our  hotel 
home  than  we  were  besieged  by  vendors  of  pearls  and  pre- 
cious stones.  The  merchants  are  Moors  and  carry  about 
their  persons,  wrapped  in  bits  of  cloth,  gems  of  rarest  qual- 
ity and  of  great  value.  We  were  shown  in  great  profusion, 
and  urged  to  buy  the  finest  rubies,  sapphires,  emeralds  and 
pearls  at  less  than  half  the  price  asked  for  them  by  dealers 
at  home.  As  we  made  no  purchases,  the  dealers  soon 
learned  to  pass  us  b)'  for  more  profitable  customers.  One 
of  our  traveling  companions  secured  a  fine  sapphire,  at  what 


*  1  Kings  lo:  11-22. 


C/2 

Si 


PRECIOUS    STONES.  489 

he  deemed  a  good  bargain,  but  at  what  seemed  to  us  an  im- 
mense price  for  a  small  bit  of  carbon. 

The  following  named  precious  stones  are  to  be  found  in 
Ce\lon:  Rubies,  sapphires,  emeralds,  the  topaz,  ameth)'sts, 
wliite  sapphires,  spiral  rubies,  chrysoberyl,  tourmalines, 
moonstones,  zircons,  garnets,  rock  crystals  and  agates.  It 
is  an  interesting  fact  that  of  the  twelve  gems  which  God 
commanded  Moses  to  put  into  the  breastplate,  to  be  worn 
by  the  high-priest,  nine  are  found  on  this  island.  It  also 
produces  seven  of  the  precious  stones  with  which  the  twelve 
foundations  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  of  John's  vision  on  Pat- 
mos,  were  garnished  and  made  beautiful. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  neither  Palestine  nor  an\' 
of  the  surrounding  countries  produced  either  the  gems  used 
in  the  high  priest's  breastplate  or  those  spoken  of  by  John, 
the  reason  for  importing  them  from  Ophir  is  apparent.  We 
incline  to  the  opinion  that  the  island  of  Cc)'lon  was  included 
in  the  borders  of  the  land  of  Ophir. 

We  were  much  interested  in  examining  the  precious 
stones  offered  for  sale  by  the  Moors,  and  especially  those 
named  in  the  Bible.  A  brief  account  of  some  of  the  Bible 
gems  may  not  be  without  interest  to  our  readers. 

Precious  stones  are  valued  according  to  their  weight 
and  purity,  the  carat  being  the  unit  of  weight.  It  equals 
nearly  three  and  a  fifth  grains  troy  weight.  A  gem  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty-one  and  a  half  carats  would  weigh  one 
ounce,  and  if  it  were  a  ruby  of  the  first  water  it  would  be 
worth  a  kingdom,  as  the  following  list  of  prices  will  show: 

Finest  ruby  one  carat  in  weight $750 

Finest  sapphire  same  weight, 1 50 

Finest  diamond  same  weight 100 

Finest  emerald  same  weight, 75 


490  niRDLING    THE    GLORE. 

These  prices  seem  high,  but  they  increase  in  a  kind  of 
geometrical  progression  as  the  gem  increases  in  weight. 
A  ruby  of  two  carats  would  be  worth  four  times  as  much  as 
one  of  the  same  quality  weighing  one  carat. 

The  ruby  is  the  most  valuable  of  all  the  gems,  and  was 
used  in  the  high  priest's  breastplate,  and  is  also  found  in 
one  of  the  foundations  of  the  Holy  City  which  John  saw 
coming  down  from  heaven.  A  perfect  rub}-  of  five  carats 
weight  would  command  a  price  ten  times  greater  than  a 
diamond  of  the  same  weight,  while  a  perfect  ruby  of  ten 
carats  is  of  almost  incalculable  value.  An  expert  in  such 
matters  says  that  a  ruby  weighing  one  carat,  of  the  true 
pigeon  blood  in  color,  untainted  by  either  brown  or  violet, 
would  be  worth  in  Ceylon,  where  jewels  are  comparatively 
cheap,  as  much  as  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

The  sapphire  stands  next  to  the  ruby  in  value.  It  is  of 
a  sky-blue  color  and  a  perfect  stone  is  of  matchless  brillian- 
cy. We  saw  one  of  these  royal  gems  cut  ready  for  mount- 
ing. It  was  of  the  softest  azure  in  color  and  of  wondrous 
luster.  As  the  Moor  held  it  up  in  his  dark  fingers,  the 
light  flashed  and  glittered  on  its  facets  as  if  it  were  a  thing 
of  life.  The  price  asked  for  the  stone  was  to  be  reckoned 
by  tens  of  thousands. 

The  sapphire  is  one  of  the  stones  used  in  garnishing 
the  foundations  of  the  Cit}-  of  God,  the  light  of  which  "was 
like  unto  a  stone  most  precious,  even  like  unto  a  jasper 
stone,  clear  as  crystal."*  The  other  foundations  of  the  city 
were  made  all  grand  and  glittering  with  emeralds,  ame- 
thysts, chrysolytes,  rubies,  jasper,  berxls.  and  other  stones 
most  precious,  of  incalculable  value  and  of  wondrous  splen- 
dor. One  cannot  conceive  of  the  richness  of  the  founda- 
tions of  the  Holy  City,  "the  bride,  the  Lamb's  wife,"  when 

*  Rev.  21:  10-27. 


PEARL    FISHERIES.  49^ 

the  present  value  of  the  gems  with  which  it  was  decorated 
is  taken  into  account.  The  finite  mind  cannot  grasp  the 
problem.  It  is  be\'ond  human  comprehension.  And  yet 
God  has  prepared  a  home  like  this  for  all  those  who  love 
him  and  obey  his  Word.  "  Blessed  are  they  that  do  his 
commandments,  that  they  ma)-  have  right  to  the  tree  of  life, 
and  ma)'  enter  in  through  the  gates  into  the  city." 

We  have  already  referred  to  Ccxlon  as  the  land  of 
pearls  and  precious  stones.  Now  it  is  our  purpose  to  have 
something  about  pearls  and  where  they  are  found. 

When  we  have  a  reference  in  the  Bible  to  pearls  they 
are  always  considered  as  having  great  value.  The  Savior 
tells  his  disciples  not  to  cast  pearls  before  swine,  and  also 
uses  this  jewel  to  illustrate  the  great  worth  of  the  kingdom 
of  God.*  Its  use  as  an  ornament  for  the  body  was  so  com- 
mon in  ancient  times  that  the  Divine  Mind  was  exercised  to 
prohibit  it  for  such  purposes.  Pearls  were  used  also  by  the 
scarlet  woman  as  one  of  her  principal  decorations. f 

On  the  coast  of  Ceylon,  not  very  far  from  Colombo,  are 
to  be  found  the  celebrated  pearl  fisheries  of  the  island,  and 
the)'  are  well  worth  a  visit.  However,  it  requires  strong  ol- 
factor)'  nerves,  for  the  stench  about  the  place  where  the 
pearl  oysters  are  opened  is  almost  unendurable. 

As  is,  no  doubt,  known  to  most  of  our  readers,  the 
pearl  is  found  in  the  o)'stcr  of  that  name.  It  was  at  one 
time  thought  that  a  grain  of  sand  placed  into  the  shell  of 
the  bivalve  would  result  in  a  pearl  being  formed,  but  this 
view  is  not  now  held  by  those  who  have  made  a  study  of 
the  subject. 

Upon  examination  the  pearl  is  found  to  have  a  small 
opening  in  the  center,  which  would  not  be  the  case  were  a 


*  Matt.  7:6;  13:  45. 

t  I  Tim.  2:  q;  Rev.  17:  4. 


49-  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

grain  of  sand  introduced.  It  is  now  generally  believed  tliat 
an  insect  attacks  the  shell,  bores  a  hole  through  it,  and  de- 
posits a  foreign  substance  of  vegetable  matter.  This  the 
mollusk  at  once  proceeds  to  cover  with  layer  after  layer  of 
a  pearl-like  substance  which  hardens  after  it  has  been  de- 
posited. The  vegetable  matter  is  absorbed,  and  thus  the 
small  hollow  in  the  center  of  the  pearl  is  accounted  for. 
The  matter  deposited  is  the  same  as  that  which  forms 
"mother-of-pearl,"  from  which  the  common  pearl  button  is 
made.  Year  after  year  the  la}'ers  are  placed  on  the  grow- 
ing pearl,  until  it  is  formed  in  all  its  beauty. 

A  pearl  of  "  great  price  "  may  be  perfectly  round  like  a 
shot,  or  pear-shaped.  It  is  of  the  most  delicate  texture, 
free  from  speck,  flaw  or  break.  In  color  it  is  almost  trans- 
lucent white;  that  is,  you  can  see  the  rays  of  light  through 
it,  but  cannot  distinguish  objects.  It  has  a  beautiful  sheen, 
giving  off  the  colors  of  the  rainbow.  A  large-sized  pearl, 
answering  this  description,  would  bring  to  its  owner,  were 
he  disposed  to  sell  it,  a  large  sum  of  money. 

The  oyster  banks  are  under  the  control  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  the  proper  ofificers  determine  when  the  fishing 
shall  take  place.  When  the  time  arrives  thousands  of  pearl 
divers,  with  merchants,  traders  and  jewelers,  crowd  the 
shore  of  the  bay.  The  divers  go  out  to  the  oyster  beds  in 
small  boats,  large  enough  to  carry  ten  men,  and  they  usual- 
h'  work  in  pairs.  The  banks  are  from  eight  to  twent}'  miles 
from  the  shore,  and  the  water  covering  them  is  from  forty 
to  fifty  feet  deep.  It  is  thought  that  the  oyster  produces 
the  best  pearls  at  from  four  to  seven  \'ears  of  age. 

The  diver  goes  under  the  water  without  a  diving  bell  or 
clothing  of  any  kind.  He  has  a  basket  attached  to  a  belt, 
fastened  around  his  waist,  into  which  he  throws  the  oysters 
as  he  gathers  them  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea.     He  is 


PEARL    DIVERS.  493 

armed  with  a  short  spear,  with  which  he  repels  the  attacks 
of  the  sharks  and  other  large  fish  which  infest  the  tropical 
waters.  But,  be  he  as  careful  as  he  ma}',  many  a  poor, 
brown-skinned  diver  serves  as  a  dainty  morsel  for  the  vora- 
cious denizens  of  the  deep. 

In  order  to  facilitate  his  descent,  a  stone  weighing  forty 
pounds  is  attached  to  his  bod\'  b)'  a  strong  cord,  and  there 
is  also  a  strong  rope  fastened  to  him,  so  that  he  can  be 
drawn  up  with  his  burden  by  his  companion  in  the  boat. 
He  remains  under  usualh'  from 'a  minute  to  a  minute  and 
a  half,  and  is  then  drawn  up.  He  rests  a  short  time  on  the 
side  of  the  boat  and  then  goes  down  again.  He  works  on  in 
this  way  until  he  is  completely  exhausted,  and  then  his  com- 
panion takes  his  place,  and  he  remains  in  the  boat.  Some 
of  the  best  divers  remain  under  the  water  from  four  to  six 
minutes.  If  any  one  would  know  what  an  exertion  this  re- 
quires, let  him  suspend  breathing  for  half  a  minute  and  he 
will  have  a  practical  test.  The  work  of  the  divers  is  very 
exhausting,  and,  as  a  rule,  they  are  a  short-lived  race. 

Generally  the  fishing  goes  on  from  sunrise  until  noon, 
then  a  signal  gun  is  fired  and  the  boats  are  rowed  ashore. 
The  divers  are  very  closely  watched  lest  they  secrete  pearls 
in  their  mouths  and  so  get  more  than  their  share.  The  . 
oysters  must  all  be  landed  at  the  government  storehouse, 
where  each  man's  catch  is  divided  into  three  heaps,  care  be- 
ing taken  to  make  the  division  equal.  The  government  takes 
two  of  the  piles  and  the  diver  gets  one  for  his  share.  The 
oysters  are  now  sold  by  auction  to  the  dealers  who  are  pres- 
ent in  large  numbers;  the  price  secured  is  from  twenty  to 
thirty  rupees  per  thousand.  The  rupee  has  about  the  same 
amount  of  silver  contained  in  our  half  dollar  and  ought  to 
be  worth   as  much,  but   it   has  depreciated   until  it  is  now 


494  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

worth  only  about  twenty-eight   cents.     The  diver  thus  gets 
from  six  to  eight  dollars  per  thousand  for  his  oysters. 

The  trader  into  whose  hands  the  oysters  now  fall  takes 
all  the  risk  of  finding  the  pearls,  and,  as  a  rule,  he  reaps  a 
ricli  harvest.  The  oysters  are  spread  out  in  the  hot,  tropi- 
cal sun  and  are  allowed  to  remain  for  six  days,  when  they 
are  easily  opened.  The  pearl  finder  opens  each  one  care- 
fully and  picks  out  the  pearls  he  can  find.  The  rotten, 
putrid  mass  is  then  laid  out  in  the  sun  to  dry.  The  stench 
arising  from  the  reeking  filth  is  something  terrible,  and  very 
few  strangers  can  endure  it.  When  it  is  thoroughly,  dried  it 
is  rubbed  fine  and  then  is  passed  through  sieves  of  different 
sizes.  At  each  sifting  pearls  are  found,  and  after  it  has 
been  thrown  away  by  the  traders  the  natives  carefully  search 
the  whole  mass  for  the  smaller  pearls  that  may  have  passed 
through  the  smallest  sieve. 

The  shells  of  the  oysters  are  shipped  to  Europe  where 
they  are  manufactured  into  pearl  buttons  and  various  orna- 
ments. The  government  has  received  as  much  as  seven 
hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  privilege  of  fishing  the 
oyster  beds  for  a  single  season,  but  now  it  is  managed  as 
has  already  been  described.  In  1891  the  income  to  the 
government  from  the  pearl  fisheries  was  nearly  one  million 
rupees. 

As  early  as  the  thirteenth  century  the  Chinese  intro- 
duced foreign  substances  into  the  pearl  mussels  which 
abound  in  the  rivers  of  China,  and  thus  facilitated  the  pro- 
duction of  pearls.  This  led  to  a  practice  on  the  part  of 
the  priests  which  made  stronger  than  ever  the  bonds  that 
hold  the  ignorant  masses  of  that  great  empire  in  supersti- 
tion and  idolatry.  Very  small  images  of  their  god  Buddha, 
seated  in  meditation, are  cast  in  lead,  or  cut  from  tin.  These 
are   introduced    into    the    mussel.     Sometimes    as  many    as 


PEARL    OF    GREATEST    PRICE.  495 

twenty  of  them  may  be  seen  adhering  closely  to  the  shell, 
covered  over  with  the  pearl  substance.  They  are  beautiful 
and  have  all  the  appearance  of  natural  objects.  The  igno- 
rant regard  these  as  miraculously-formed  images  of  Buddha, 
and  prize  them  very  highly  as  amulets  and  charms.  So  in 
all  countries  the  ignorant  are  the  dupes  of  designing  men. 

In  this  brief  sketch  we  have  sought  to  give  our  readers 
some  information  concerning  the  production  of  pearls.  It 
is  a  Bible  subject,  and  while  there  are  interesting  facts  con- 
nected with  it,  there  remains  in  the  heart  of  the  writer  the 
hope  that  all  who  read  this  may  find  the  "  pearl  of  greatest 
price,"  even  the  joy  and  comfort  that  comes  from  a  full  as- 
surance of  our  acceptance  with  God. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


Off  for  Hong  Kong —  The  Sea  Captain  s  "  Spicy  Breezes  "  —  The  "  Kai- 
ser-i-Hind" —  The  Grouping  of  Passengers  —  Ship's  Log  from  Co- 
lombo to  Penang  —  Straits  of  Malacca  —  A  Pleasant  Voyage  —  Sin- 
gapore—  Beauties  of  the  Entrance  to  the  Harbor  —  Houses  Built 
Over  the  Water  —  The  Sedan  Chair  —  Botanical  Gardens  — 
Through  the  Streets  of  Singapore —  The  Shell  Aferchant —  The 
Opium  Dens  —  A  Fearful  Sight  —  Kava  —  On  the  China  Sea  — 
Sudden  Stopping  of  the  Ship's  Engines  —  A  Nerve-Trying  Experi- 
ence—  Hong  Kong. 

The  time  had  come  when  wc  must  leave  the  beautiful 
"  Isle  of  Spices  "  and  continue  our  journey  onward  to  the 
homeland.  We  lingered  here,  reluctant  to  leave  the  "  Pearl 
of  India;"  but  time  and  tide  wait  for  no  one.  The  same 
statement  may  be  made  in  regard  to  the  Peninsular  and 
Oriental  steamers.  We  had  taken  passage  on  the  "  Kaiser- i- 
Hind"  for  Hong  Kong  and  far-away  Cathay.  This  was  to  be 
no  six  days'  voyage  across  the  Atlantic  on  one  of  the  great 
ocean  greyhounds,  now^  so  common  as  to  be  but  an  ever\- 
da)'  occurrence.  With  but  a  few  breaks  in  the  journey  we 
had  before  us  a  voyage  of  some  13,000  miles  before  enter- 
ing the  Golden  Gate  and  setting  our  feet  on  the  "  land  of 
the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave." 

Our  steamer,  of  curious  name,  is  a  staunch,  well-built 
boat  of  four  thousand  tons  burden,  and,  wind  and  weather 
permitting,  will  carr\'  us  over  the  sea  at  the  rate  of  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty  miles  a  day.  We  cannot  say  much  in  favor 
of  the  "  Kaiser  "  as  to  comfort.  The  company  reserves  the 
best  boats  for  the  Australian  and  Indian  trade.  On  this  far- 
away sea  we  must  be  content  with  second  and  even  third- 
(496) 


SPICY    BREEZES.  497 

class  steamers.  But  we  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing 
that  our  ship  was  built  for  storms  and  not  fair  weather.  She 
has  outridden  the  typhoons  of  the  China  Sea,  and  we  feel 
moderatel)'  safe  when  we  step  out  on  the  deck. 

A  gentle  breeze  was  blowing  across  Ceylon's  Isle  as  we 
steamed  away  from  Colombo.  But  the  strongest  olfactory 
nerves  failed  to  discern  the  spicy  odors  made  famous  by 
Bishop  Heber's  missionary  hymn.  It  is  said  that  once  upon 
a  time  a  sea  captain,  when  his  ship  was  nearing  Ceylon,  and 
while  his  passengers  were  below  eating  their  dinner,  rubbed 
a  quantity  of  the  oil  of  cloves  and  cinnamon  on  the  rail  of 
the  upper  deck.  As  the  passengers  came  up  one  by  one, 
they  were  not  only  delighted  with  a  view  of  the  famous  is- 
land, but  with  the  "  spicy  breezes  "  borne  to  them  on  the 
wings  of  the  wind.  The  captain  assured  them  that  they 
were  having  an  evidence  of  the  truth  of  the  statement  made 
by  Heber. 

We  had  on  board  the  "  Kaiser-i-Hind  "  a  full  comple- 
ment of  passengers.  It  v/as  a  mixed  multitude  and  essen- 
tially cosmopolitan  in  its  make-up.  The  four  quarters  of 
the  globe  were  represented  on  board  this  one  small  ship. 
Not  onl}'  did  we  have  people  from  the  world's  various  na- 
tionalities, but  from  the  different  social  walks  in  life  as 
well.  Here  were  Americans,  Europeans,  Asiatics,  Africans, 
Australians,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  islands  of  the  sea. 
Among  the  passengers  were  an  English  earl,  high  in  govern- 
ment circles,  a  Scottish  nobleman  with  the  same  rank,  two 
German  counts,  a  Frenchman  with  some  kind  of  a  title,  sev- 
eral members  of  the  English  Parliament  who  wrote  the 
word  "  Lord  "  before  their  names,  Church  of  England  and 
Scotch  Presbyterian  ministers,  missionaries  on  their  way  to 
China,  representatives  of  the  great  commercial  houses  of 
the  world,  Chinese  and  Japanese  government  officials,  and 


498  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

the  usual  number  of  the  i^enus  "  Globe  Trotters,"  a  term  now 
generally  applied  to  a  class  of  persons  with  more  money 
than  brains,  who  wander  aimlessly  around  the  world,  with 
the  high  ambition  of  being  able  to  say,  "We  have  been 
around!  " 

There  is  a  common  saying  that  "birds  of  a  feather  flock 
together,"  and  the  truth  of  this  old  proverb  is  fully  exempli- 
fied on  shipboard.  O.n  a  long  sea  voyage  the  passengers 
soon  group  themselves  according  to  their  likes  and  dislikes, 
and  these  groups  are  quite  separate  and  distinct.  Before 
the  first  day  has  passed  two  general  classes  have  been 
formed, — those  who  pla)'  cards  and  gamble,  and  those  who 
do  not.  The  first  class  usually  occupy-  the  smoking  room, 
for,  as  a  rule,  the  card  player  and  the  gambler  use  tobacco. 
To  these  two  accomplishments  must  be  added  a  third,  that 
of  taking  strong  drink.  These  three  things  appear  to  be  in- 
separably con.nected, — gambling,  strong  drink  and  the  use 
of  tobacco.  Those  who  do  not  gamble,  smoke  and  drink, 
are  grouped  about  the  deck  on  steamer  chairs  and  spend 
the  time  in  reading,  writing  and  talking.  Those  who  are  re- 
ligiously inclined  are  found  spending  a  part  of  the  day  in 
Bible  readings  and  in  divine  w^orship. 

The  weather  was  delightfully  pleasant,  and  with  a  calm, 
smooth  sea  the  days  passed  by  rapidly.  In  the  tropics,  at 
this  season  of  the  )-ear,  there  is  a  constant  breeze  stirring, 
and  this  moderates  the  heat  so  that  it  is  not  oppressively 
hot.  The  ship's  log — a  daily  record  of  the  distance  made 
and  of  our  longitude  and  latitude  at  noon —  is  hung  up  in 
the  companionwa)-,  so  that  all  ma\'  Icnow  what  progress  is 
being  made.  The  ship's  log  from  Colombo  to  Penang  is 
here  given.  It  may  not  be  without  interest  to  at  least  some 
of  our  readers: 


SINGAPORE.  499 

Longitude.  Latitude.  Distance. 

Feb.  26,  1896 82,  50,  00 5,  14,  15 238  miles. 

Feb.  27,  1896, 87,  19,  00 5.  53.  00 267  miles. 

Feb,  28,  1896, 92,  00,  00 5,  50,  00 280  miles. 

Feb.  29,  1896 96,  34,  00 5,  56,  00 275  miles. 

March  i,  1896, 100,  18,  30 5,  17,  15 231  miles. 

The  run  of  March  i  brought  us  to  Penang  at  7:30  A. 
M.,  and  the  passengers  had  an  opportunity  of  spending  a 
few  hours  on  shore.  The  island  lies  some  nine  miles  off  the 
west  coast  of  the  Malay  Peninsula.  It  contains,  all  told, 
sixty-nine  thousand  acres  of  land,  with  a  population  not  far 
from  a  hundred  thousand  souls.  The  city  is  uninteresting, 
and  its  few  sights  hardly  pay  for  the  necessary  walk 
through  the  hot  sun.  About  one-half  the  population  is 
Chinese.  These  yellow-skinned,  coarse-featured,  almond- 
eyed  celestials  present  to  us  a  striking  contrast  with  the 
bronzed  color  and  fine  features  of  the  natives  of  India,  with 
whom  we  had  been  surrounded  for  several  months;  and  the 
advantage  was,  according  to  our  judgment,  altogether  on 
the  side  of  the  dwellers  in  India.  In  these  tropical  climates 
clothing  of  scantiest  proportions  is  worn,  and  the  color  of 
the  body  is  at  once  strikingly  noticeable. 

From  Penang  a  two  days'  run  on  the  smooth  waters  of 
the  Malacca  Straits  brought  us  to  the  city  of  Singapore, 
within  a  few  miles  of  the  equator.  The  weather  was  pleas- 
ant and  not  too  warm.  We  had  anticipated  very  hot  weath- 
er as  we  approached  the  great  circle,  but  were  happily 
disappointed.  The  mercury  ranged  from  80  to  94  degrees. 
There  seems  to  be  but  little  difference  in  the  temperature  at 
Madras,  Colombo  and  Singapore.  Here  the  ship  took  coal 
for  her  long  voyage  across  the  China  Sea  to  Hong  Kong. 
As  the  coaling  process  required  a  full  day,  we  had  ample 
time  to  see  everything  of  interest  in  the  capital  of  the 
Straits  Settlement. 


500  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

Ovvin_f^  to  the  dangers  of  navigation,  our  ship  cast  an- 
chor outside  the  harbor  in  the  night  and  waited  the  coming 
of  daylight.  When  the  morning  sun,  rising  clear  and  bright 
over  Sumatra,  turned  sky  and  mountain  top  to  red  and  am- 
ber we  slowly  steamed  up  to  the  wharf.  No  other  harbor 
at  which  we  landed  or  embarked  in  Asia  is  so  picturesquely 
beautiful  as  that  of  Singapore.  The  devious  waterway  of 
exquisite  beauty  leads  among  hills  and  mountains  all  cov- 
ered with  the  riches  of  tropical  vegetation.  If  Ceylon  is 
the  land  of  spices,  much  more  is  this,  around  about  these 
palm-covered  hills,  red  and  scarlet  with  thickets  of  the  flow- 
ering hibiscus.  Here  the  clove,  the  nutmeg  and  the  cinna- 
mon flourish,  and  the  luscious  mango  and  mangosteen  grow 
to  perfection.  The  bright  equatorial  sun,  tempered  b)-  a 
generous  rainfall  and  by  a  constant  sea  breeze,  clothes  hills 
and  valleys  with  a  verdure  that  never  fails.  It  is  the  land 
of  unending  summer,  where  the  beautiful  flowers,  the  bright, 
happy  children  of  the  Southland,  bloom  )'ear  in  and  year 
out  without  ceasing.  Amid  these  beauties  of  bounteous  na- 
ture we  threaded  our  way  until  we  entered  the  land-locked 
bay  and  moored  at  the  wharf  of  Singapore. 

Singapore  is  located  on  an  island  of  the  same  name,  ly- 
ing at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  Malay  Peninsula.  The 
island  is  twenty-seven  miles  long  and  fourteen  broad.  The 
population  may  be  set  down,  in  round  numbers,  at  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand;  about  two-thirds  of  these  are  Chi- 
nese. John,  with  his  long  pigtail  and  patient,  enduring  face, 
has  forced  himself  into  all  lines  of  trade,  and  monopolizes 
the  business  of  the  island.  You  will  find  him  everywhere. 
At  the  bank  he  calculated  our  exchange  on  the  wooden  but- 
tons of  his  peculiar  counting-board,  and  paid  us  in  the  sil- 
ver dollars  of  the  Straits.  In  all  the  stores  and  shops  he 
greets  you  in   terms   polite  and  asks  as  to  \'our  wants.     He 


< 

5 
u 


o 
•A 

> 


SEDAN    CHAIR.  503 

has  learned  sufficient  English  for  the  purposes  of  trade,  and 
if  )Ou  will  note  the  fact  that  he  drops  the  "  r  "  and  replaces 
it  with  an  "  1,"  \'ou  will  soon  be  able  to  converse  with  him. 
He  is,  so  far  as  trading  qualities  are  concerned,  the  Jew  of 
the  Orient. 

A  drive  of  half  an  hour  in  a  gliarric  (the  oriental  name 
for  a  carriage)  behind  a  swift  pair  of  Pegu  ponies,  over  a  fine 
driveway  made  of  the  red  soil  of  the  island,  brought  us  to 
the  Botanical  Gardens,  noted  for  the  richness  of  their  floral 
wealth.  On  the  way  we  passed  many  curious  houses  built, 
not  on  the  ground,  but  over  the  water.  Here  lived  the  fish- 
ermen, to  the  manner  born,  who  approach  their  houses  in 
their  little  fishing  boats,  and  reach  the  doors  by  means  of 
steps  and  ladders.  Piles  are  driven  into  the  mud  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  bay,  and  on  these,  above  the  reach  of  high  tide, 
the  dwellings  are  constructed.  These  are,  for  the  most  part, 
built  of  palm  leaves,  the  roofing  being  of  the  same  material. 
They  present  but  a  temporar\'  appearance  on  their  stilt-like 
foundations.  An  ordinar)-  western  breeze,  so  common  on 
our  home  prairies,  would  soon  distribute  the  palm-leaf 
houses  over  the  sea.  But  in  this  favored  spot  the  storms 
never  come,  and  the  Malay  fisherman  dwells  in  safet)-  in  his 
palm-covered  hut. 

In  Singapore  the  gliarric  and  jinrikishi  are  supplemented 
by  the  sedan  chair  as  a  means  of  travel.  The  chairs  are  of 
simple  construction,  as  our  picture  will  show.  Two  long, 
springy  bamboo  poles  with  a  cushioned  box,  containing  a 
comfortable  seat  for  one  person,  securely  fastened  in  the 
middle  of  the  poles,  comprise  the  Asiatic  carrying  chair.  It 
has  been  in  use  in  China  for  man\-  centuries.  Two  strong 
Chinese  coolies — one  in  front,  the  other  in  the  rear — place 
the  ends  of  the  poles  on  their  shoulders  and  carry  you  about 
the  town  and  country  at  the  uniform  fare  of  five  cents  ai. 


504  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

hour.  It  is  hard  work,  and  I  observed  that  the  chair  carri- 
ers had  great  calloused  lumps  on  the  shoulders  produced  by 
their  heavy  burden  bearing.  It  was  hard  enough  for  us  to 
get  used  to  having  a  man  pull  us  around  in  the  jinrikisha, 
and  here  we  drew  the  line.  It  was  too  much  to  be  carried 
on  the  shoulders  of  men.  We  took  tk  gharrie  and  saw  all  of 
Singapore  in  the  time  allotted  for  that  purpose. 

Our  first  visit  was  to  the  Botanical  Gardens  where  one 
never  tires  of  wandering  beneath  the  shade  of  the  spreading 
palms  and  a  hundred  other  rare  and  beautiful  trees.  There 
are  flowers  and  fruits  in  great  profusion,  strange  in  appear- 
ance and  stranger  in  name.  Some  kinds  of  the  fruit  are  lus- 
cious and  palatable,  while  others  are  of  such  peculiar  smell 
and  taste  that  it  requires  a  long  and  patient  training  to 
learn  to  eat  them  with  any  degree  of  relish.  Here  are  the 
names  of  some  of  the  fruits  common  at  Singapore:  custard, 
apples,  pineapples,  sour-sop,  limes,  oranges,  mangoes,  plan- 
tains, mangosteens,  durians,  dukus,  tampangs  and  half  a 
score  more,  strange  of  name  and  indescribable  as  to  taste. 

Conspicuous  among  the  trees  is  the  "travelers'  palm," 
growing  gracefully  in  the  shape  of  an  immense,  wide-spread 
fan.  It  grows  out  from  a  center  filled  with  sweet  water, 
forming  a  huge  representation  of  our  common  palm-leaf 
fan,  a  score  of  feet  in  diameter,  with  the  trunk  of  the  tree 
for  a  handle.  One  can  imagine  that  if  it  was  ever  used  as  a 
fan  there  must  have  been  giants  in  the  land  in  those  days. 

A  drive  through  the  busy  streets  of  the  city  reveals  the 
usual  type  of  an  eastern  town.  The  European  quarter,  the 
hotels,  the  banks,  the  bungalows  of  the  wealthy  natives,  and 
the  huts  of  the  poor  are  to  be  seen  as  an  evidence  that 
wealth  has  its  power  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  But  far  more 
interesting  to  us  than  the  gardens  and  the  busy  streets  of 
the  city  is  a  study  of  the  people  themselves.     At  the  wharf, 


BEAUTIFUL    SHELLS.  505 

where  our  ship  is  moored,  one  may  study  types  and  charac- 
ter by  the  hour.  Here  are  all  styles  of  dress,  all  manners  of 
costumes,  and  no  costume  at  all;  for  these  residents  of  the 
tropics  have  a  total  disregard  of  what  are  to  us  the  common 
proprieties  of  life.  But  the  scantiness  of  their  attire  seems 
not  inappropriate  when  the  climatic  conditions  are  taken  in- 
to consideration. 

On  the  wharf  we  are  beset  by  merchants  of  every  class, 
all  intent  upon  disposing  of  their  numerous  wares.  We  are 
importuned  to  buy  parrots  of  brilliant  plumage,  and  are  as- 
sured by  the  salesman  that  they  can  talk  English,  "AUee 
samee  Inglisman."  Then  there  is  the  monkey-trader. 
He  offers  for  sale  the  specimens  of  the  Malay  monkey  with 
long  silken  arms  and  soft,  melancholy  eyes,  blinking  at  you 
as  if  inviting  you  to  buy.  Great,  luscious  pineapples,  that 
would  not  cost  less  than  twenty-five  cents  in  Chicago  or 
New  York,  may  be  purchased  for  a  penny  or  two,  for  this  is 
the  home  of  this  fine  fruit.  We  notice  our  provident  stew- 
ard is  placing  a  large  number  in  his  locker,  and  we  shall 
have  plenty  of  the  fruit  on  our  voyage  to  China. 

But  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the  wares  offered  to  tempt 
our  pocketbooks  were  the  shells, — the  rare  and  beautiful 
children  of  the  sea.  Boatload  after  boatload  was  rowed  up 
to  the  wharf  by  the  Malay  shellfishers,  who  did  a  thriving 
business.  Here  were  the  finest  specimens  of  the  nautilus, 
nature's  sailor  of  the  sea,  the  most  interesting  denizen  of 
the  deep — pearly  white,  and  fully  twice  as  large  as  the 
largest  seen  in  the  shell  stores  at  home.  Then  there  were 
great  flat  shells  of  mother-of-pearl,  with  spirals  and  cowries 
of  every  shape  and  hue,  and  of  the  most  brilliant  colors 
imaginable.  These  were  so  tastefully  arranged  with  great 
masses  of  red,  pink  and  white  coral  that  one  hardly  knew 
which  most  to  admire,  the  shells  and  corals,  or  the  skill  of 


506  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

the  ycllow-skinncd  merchant  in  arranging  them  to  show  to 
the  best  advantage.  We  enriched  our  little  collection  with 
a  few  rare  shells.  As  we  look  at  them  we  are  satisfied  that 
the  hand  of  the  most  skillful  painter  in  the  world  never  pro- 
duced such  deep,  rich  hues,  or  such  fine  shadings  and 
blendings  of  color  as  are  seen  on  these  beautiful  shells;  and 
no  marvel,  for  these  were  painted  by  the  artist  hand  of  God. 
One  can  only  look,  admire  and  wonder.  That  God  made 
so  beautiful  and  colored  so  richly  the  shells  that  serve  their 
purpose  and  are  then  cast  on  the  shore  of  the  restless  sea, 
only  teaches  that  the  love  of  the  beautiful,  which  he  has 
given  to  man,  may  be  legitimately  gratified. 

But  all  is  not  beautiful  at  Singapore.  There  are  sad, 
repulsive  sights  to  be  seen  that  sicken  the  heart  and  make 
the  soul  sorrowful.  As  we  study  the  people  who  come  and 
go,  we  see  scores  of  wild,  haggard-eyed,  emaciated,  woe-be- 
gone  faces  that  tell  of  the  opium  habit,  as  surely  as  the  red 
nose,  the  watery  eyes  and  the  bloated  face  tell  of  the  drunk- 
ard at  home.  These  poor  heathen,  bearing  the  image  of 
God  on  their  faces,  have  been  ruined, — mind,  soul  and 
body, — by  English  thirst  for  gold;  for  be  it  known  that  the 
foul  opium  dens  are  licensed  by  a  Christian  (?)  nation,  and 
that  an  immense  revenue  falls  into  the  coffers  of  the  state 
each  year  from  the  opium  trade. 

Let  us  look  into  one  of  these  opium  dens!  The  sicken- 
ing stench  arising  from  the  opium  pipe  is  even  worse  than 
the  fumes  of  a  long-used  tobacco  pipe,  and  one  must  have 
courage  to  set  his  foot  inside  the  door.  The  room  is  small 
and  is  crowded  with  depraved,  half-naked  barbarian  smok- 
ers. The  stench  of  the  smoke  is  supplemented  b}-  that  aris- 
ing from  the  bodies  of  the  unclean  "opium  fiends."  In  the 
center  of  the  swarthy  circle,  assembled  in  the  filthy  den,  is 
a  small,  dirty  oil-lamp,  burning  with  a  dim,  uncertain  flame. 


OPIUM    DENS.  507 

One  of  the  smokers  has  a  pipe  with  a  small  bowl,  and  a 
stem  so  thick  that  he  must  open  his  mouth  wide  to  take  it 
in.  On  the  end  of  a  long  iron  needle  he  takes  up  a  bit  of 
sticky  opium  about  the  size  of  a  pea  and  heats  it  over  the 
flame  of  the  lamp.  After  it  is  heated  he  drops  it  into  the 
small  opening  in  the  pipe.  He  then  lies  down  at  full 
length,  places  the  bowl  of  the  pipe  over  the  flame,  draws  in 
the  smoke,  swallows  it,  and  emits  it  through  his  nostrils. 
In  a  few  moments  the  muscles  relax,  the  head  drops  over 
and  the  smoker  is  unconscious  of  all  the  world.  The  pipe 
is  then  taken  up  by  another  waiting  his  turn,  and  so  the 
smokine  goes  on  until  the  entire  crowd  are  in  an  uncon- 
scious  stupor. 

I  give  a  worci  of  warning  to  our  boys  and  young  men 
who  are  given  to  the  habit  of  cigarette  smoking.  It  is  now 
stated,  on  the  best  of  authority,  that  the  manufacturers  of 
cigarettes  are  putting  a  small  quantity  of  opium  in  the  to- 
bacco they  use.  It  would  seem  that  men  who  would  do 
this  thing  must  be  lost  to  all  that  is  good;  but  the  thirst  for 
gold  is  at  the  bottom  of  it  all.  In  this  way  they  hope  to 
fasten  the  habit  of  smoking  on  their  victims  and  thus  in- 
crease the  sale  of  their  wares.  When  the  taste  for  opium 
is  once  acquired  it  becomes  a  destroying  demon,  never  to 
be  satisfied;  and,  because  it  destroys  the  will  and  moral 
powers,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  throw  it  off.  Many  of 
our  state  legislatures  prohibit  the  sale  of  cigarettes,  but  the 
consumption  of  them  is  on  the  increase.  From  smoking 
the  cigarette  saturated  with  the  drug  it  is  but  a  small  step 
to  the  opium  habit  itself.  As  you  prize  the  God-given  in- 
tellectual and  moral  powers  in  your  possession,  be  warned 
in  time. 

In  addition  to  the  opium  eating  and  smoking,  so  com- 
mon among  the  Orientals,  there  is  a  considerable  consump- 


508  GIRDLING    THK    GLOBE. 

tion  of  intoxicating  drinks.  Drunkenness  is  not,  however, 
so  common  as  in  the  Western  world.  Toddy,  the  product 
of  the  cocoanut  palm,  is  the  most  common  beverage  used  in 
India,  Ceylon,  and  the  Straits  Settlements.  A  liquor  is  also 
distilled  from  rice  and  is  used  in  large  quantities  in  the 
East.  It  is  known  as  ".sa-ke,"  and  is  quite  intoxicating. 
It  is  largely  used  in  China  and  Japan  and  in  the  islands 
south  of  those  countries. 

One  of  the  drinks  common  to  the  South  Pacific  is 
'ka-va,"  a  product  of  the  Samoan  group  of  islands.  The 
manufacture  of  this  peculiar  drink  is  thus  described  by  one 
who  witnessed  the  process:  "Ka-va  is  prepared  from  the 
root  of  a  species  of  the  pepper  tree,  found  on  most  of  the 
islands  of  the  Samoan  group.  The  shrub  attains  a  height  of 
five  or  six  feet  and  has  a  pretty  green  foliage,  tinged  with 
purple.  The  root,  having  been  thoroughly  washed,  is  cut  in 
small  slices,  which  are  distributed  to  young  girls  with  per- 
fect teeth,  to  be  chewed,  by  which  process  they  are  reduced 
to  a  complete  pulp.  Mouthful  after  mouthful  of  these  little 
pulpy  masses  is  thrown  into  a  large  bowl,  ceremoniously 
placed  in  front  of  the  one  who  is  to  serve  the  beverage,  and 
water  is  then  poured  upon  them.  The  mass  is  now  worked 
with  the  hand  until  all  the  strength  and  virtue  of  the  fibre  is 
expressed,  when  it  is  deftly  strained  away  with  a  bunch  of 
long  fibre  from  the  inner  bark  of  the  hibiscus,  and  the  liquid 
rs  now  ready  for  drinking.  Its  appearance  is  like  that  of 
weak  tea,  its  taste  like  that  of  soap  suds."  In  the  case  of 
the  ka-va,  it  may  be  said  that  the  drink  is  chewed.  The 
process  of  manufacture,  if  witnessed,  would  doubtless  keep 
most  of  our  home  people  from  trying  the  beverage. 

If  our  readers  will  take  a  map  of  the  Eastern  Hemis- 
phere, and  locate  Singapore,  almost  on  the  equator,  and 
then   draw  a   line  a  little  east  of  north,   nearly   the    entire 


MALAY    BOYS    DIVING.  5O9 

length  of  the  China  Sea,  with  a  slight  curve  around  the 
coast  of  Siam,  to  Hong  Kong,  they  will  have  the  route  tak- 
en by  the  "  Kaiser-i-Hind  "  from  Malay  to  China.  The  dis- 
tance, as  the  ship  runs,  is  barely  fifteen  hundred  miles,  and 
yet  six  days  are  required  to  make  the  voyage.  Navigation 
on  the  China  Sea  is  attended  with  no  little  danger,  owing  to 
the  typhoons  that  sweep  over  its  waters.  As  our  voyage 
was  made  at  a  season  when  these  cyclonic  storms  do  not 
prevail  to  any  great  extent,  we  had  but  little  fear  of  encoun- 
tering this  great  danger. 

The  "  Kaiser-i-Hind "  moved  slowly  away  from  the 
wharf,  and  we  were  off  on  our  way  to  the  land  of  Cathay. 
The  ship  was  surrounded  by  Malay  boys  in  their  little 
boats,  clamoring  to  have  the  passengers  throw  money  over- 
board, so  that  they  might  dive  for  it.  One  knew  not  which 
to  admire  most,  the  diving  or  the  skill  with  which  the  boys 
sprang  into  their  boats  after  coming  up  from  the  depths. 
A  score  or  more  would  spring  out  of  the  boats  and  disap- 
pear, diving  after  the  coveted  money.  After  a  struggle  be- 
neath the  water  they  would  reappear,  the  successful  diver 
holding  the  coin  aloft  between  his  fingers  for  a  moment  and 
then  putting  it  into  his  mouth  in  order  to  be  ready  for 
another  dive.  Swimming  to  their  boats  they  sprang  into 
them,  and,  with  a  quick  movement  of  the  foot,  kicked  the 
water  out  while  paddling.  Sometimes  the  boats  would  fill 
with  water  and  sink.  The  occupants,  two  in  number,  would 
roll  out,  seize  the  little  craft  at  each  end,  turn  it  over,  emp- 
ty out  the  water,  right  the  boat  again,  spring  into  it  and 
paddle  after  the  slowly-moving  ship,  shouting  for  a  dive. 
The  Malay  boys  are  perfectly  at  home  in  the  water. 

We  soon  left  boats  and  divers  far  behind,  as  we  moved 
out  to  sea.  In  the  harbor  there  was  'Only  the  slightest 
breeze  stirring,  but  Captain  Daniels  said:  "  We  shall  have  a 


510  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

blow  when  we  i^et  out  to  sea;  it  is  onl\-  local,  however,  and 
we  shall  outrun  it  during  the  night."  His  prediction  proved 
to  be  true.  A  strong  wind  was  blowing  outside  the  harbor, 
which  increased  in  force  during  the  evening.  The  sea  ran 
high  and  the  ship  pitched  and  rolled,  much  to  the  discom- 
fort of  the  passengers.  Seasickness  added  its  misery  to 
the  ship's  unhappy  company.  We  turned  in  early  and  slept 
soundly  through  the  night.  When  the  morning  came  we 
were  sailing  over  a  sunlit  sea,  as  smooth  as  glass.  So  the 
sorrows  of  the  night  were  turned  into  joy  in  the  morning. 

And  now  began  a  long  voyage  on  the  China  Sea.  The 
passage  was  not  a  pleasant  one.  Sunshine  and  smooth  seas 
were  succeeded  by  clouds  and  storms,  accompanied  by 
heavy  rainfalls.  The  northeast  monsoon  made  its  force  felt 
to  the  discomfort  of  all  the  ship's  company,  and  no  one  of 
the  passengers  expressed  the  least  regret  when  we  steamed 
into  the  harbor  of  Hong  Kong,  and  landed  amidst  a  throng 
of  almond-eyed,  yellow  celestials. 

On  a  long  sea  voyage  the  continuous  throbbing  of  the 
engines  and  the  revolutions  of  the  propeller,  after  a  time, 
become  almost  a  part  of  one's  life.  When  you  lie  down  at 
night,  the  throbbing  comes  to  you  with  the  regularity  of  the 
beating  of  your  pulse,  and,  unconsciously,  you  will  discover 
that  it  is  keeping  time  with  the  pulsations  of  your  heart. 
You  breathe  in  unison  with  the  throbs,  and  as  the  days  go 
by  they  become  a  part  of  your  life.  It  is  the  great  heart  of 
the  ship,  beating  with  the  regularity  of  clockwork,  which 
gives  motion  to  the  vessel  and  drives  it  through  the  water 
at  such  a  rapid  rate.  To  have  the  throbbing  suddenly 
cease,  when  out  at  sea,  brings  great  alarm  to  the  passen- 
gers and  much  confusion  to  the  ship's  company. 

An  experience  of  this  kind  fell  to  our  lot  on  the  China 
Sea,  and  wc  shall  not  soon   forget  it.     We  were  sitting  to- 


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O 


AX   ACCIDENT   AT    SEA.  513 

gether  on  deck  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  night 
was  dark,  a  heav)'  wind  was  blowing  and  the  rain  was  com- 
ing down  in  torrents,  and  in  these  latitudes  it  literally  pours 
down.  The  sea  was  rough,  but  as  the  monsoon  was  blowing 
from  the  direction  we  were  going,  we  suffered  only  from  the 
pitching  of  the  ship.  The  deck  was  brilliantly  lighted  with 
electricity,  and  in  our  protected  corner  we  rather  enjoyed 
the  warring  of  the  elements.  Suddenl)-,  and  without  a  mo- 
ment's warning,  the  engines  stopped,  the  heart  of  the  ship 
ceased  its  throbbings  and  we  were  in  Egyptian  darkness. 
The  moment  the  engines  stopped,  the  current  of  electricity 
was  cut  off,  and  we  were  left  without  light.  The  vessel,  no 
longer  propelled  through  the  water,  could  not  be  steered,  so 
fell  into  the  trough  of  the  sea  and  was  at  the  mercy  of  the 
waves.  She  rolled  heavily,  and  at  times  it  seemed  as  if  the 
ship  would  roll  over  on  her  side.  We  clung  to  an  iron  rail- 
ing and  waited  anxiously  for  developments.  The  passen- 
gers were  much  alarmed;  some  put  on  life-preservers  and 
others  began  calling  on  the  Lord  for  help.  A  few  moments 
before  all  were  in  good  spirits,  and  now  all  was  gloom  and 
darkness,  with  dread  and  fear.  Presently  the  old-time  oil 
lamps  and  lanterns  were  lighted,  and  never  was  light  more 
welcome.  An  officer  came  on  deck  and  assured  the  people 
that  nothing  of  a  serious  character  had  happened,  that  the 
repairs  would  be  made  in  a  few  hours  and  we  would  be  un- 
der wa}-  again.  A  steam  supply  pipe  had  bursted  and 
caused  the  trouble.  This  information  parti}'  quieted  the 
fears  of  the  nervous  ones.  When,  a  few  hours  later,  the 
engines  were  again  started,  and  the  throbbing  of  the  pro- 
peller was  again  heard,  great  relief  was  felt  by  all,  and  from 
many  hearts  grateful  thanks  went  up  to  God  who  had  pre- 
served us  in  the  face  of  a  great  danger. 

The   storm    was    succeeded    by    clear   weather    and    a 


514  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

smooth  sea,  and  this  in  turn  b}-  strong  winds  and  rough  wa- 
ters. The  best  of  discipline  is  maintained  on  board  ship. 
The  officers  and  men  are  courteous  to  the  passengers  and 
prompt  in  attention  to  their  duties.  The  monoton\-  of  the 
vo\'age  was  broken  b\-  an  occasional  lifeboat  drill.  At  a 
signal  from  the  commanding  officers  the  men  hurried  on 
deck  and  took  their  places.  There  was  no  fire,  there  was 
no  need  of  the  lifeboats;  but  if  the  ship  had  been  in  the  most 
imminent  danger  from  fire  or  storm  no  greater  promptness 
could  have  been  shown  in  getting  fire  hose  and  lifeboats 
ready  for  the  emergency.  Every  officer  and  man  was  at  his 
post  read}'  for  action.  It  was  the  perfection  of  discipline 
and  gave  the  passengers  confidence  in  the  ability  of  officers 
and  crew  to  meet  the  danger  promptly  and  intelligenth*  if 
it  came.  The  drill,  I  reflected,  was  an  excellent  exercise. 
It  prepared  the  men  for  any  emergency  that  might  come, 
and  it  is  always  well  to  be  prepared  for  a  danger  that  may 
come. 

A  dull,  leaden  sk\',  witli  a  horizon  heavy  with  storm 
clouds,  greeted  us  when  we  went  on  deck  on  the  mornin<j  of 
March  9.  The  coast  of  China  was  in  full  view,  and  in  a 
short  time  we  were  steaming  into  the  magnificent  harbor  of 
Hong  Kong,  the  best  and  most  commanding  on  the  Chi- 
nese coast.  England  has  planted  her  standard  here,  and  as 
a  result  prosperity  has  smiled  on  the  little  fishing  village  of 
1 84 1.  Then  Hong  Kong  had  but  a  few  thousand  souls  and 
was  a  poverty-stricken  place;  now  it  has  a  population  of 
about  two  hundred  thousand  and  is  rich  in  commerce  and 
merchandise.  The  place  is  strongly  fortified  and  com- 
mands the  approach  to  Canton  and  the  commerce  of  the 
Chinese  coast.  The  cit}-  is  built  on  a  genth'-rising  slope 
which  recedes  from  the  water,  and  then  rising  abruptly 
forms  Victoria  heights.     We  were  glad  to  leave  the  "  Kai- 


WINDSOR    HOTEL.  515 

ser-i-Hind"  which  had  been  our  home  for  thirteen  days, 
and  seek  a  home  on  shore.  We  found  a  pleasant  resting 
place  at  the  Windsor  Hotel  where  we  spent  a  week  very 
pleasantly. 


CHAPTER    XX. 


Short  Stay  in  China  —  The  Black  Plague  —  "Pidgin  Etiglish" —  The 
Sedan  Chair —  Crowded  Cities  —  Signboards  —  Houseboats  —  77/1? 
Noonday  Meal  — A  Strange  Fashioft  —  Small  Feet. 

Our  stay  in  China  was  of  short  duration.  Both  at 
Hong  Kong  and  Canton  the  black  plague  prevailed  and 
many  deaths  were  reported  daily;  so  our  first  concern  was 
to  secure  a  passage  at  the  earliest  possible  date  for  Japan. 
We  considered  ourselves  fortunate  in  securing  berths  on  the 
English  steamer  "  Ancona,"  sailing  a  week  later  for  Yoko- 
hama, by  way  of  Kobe  and  the  inland  sea  of  Japan.  These 
arrangements  being  made,  the  time  was  spent  in  seeing 
something  of  Chinese  life.  Our  observations  were  limited. 
China  and  the  Chinese  are  a  life-long  study,  and  the  week 
spent  on  the  coast  gave  us  but  little  opportunity  to  see  the 
people  in  their  homes. 

The  plague  which  was  raging  is  one  of  the  most  fatal 
diseases  known.  Instances  are  given  where,  in  certain 
places,  every  person  attacked  died.  It  is  usually  fatal  in 
from  a  few  hours  to  three  days  after  the  attack.  The  first 
symptoms  are  similar  to  those  of  the  ague.  There  are  se- 
vere pains  in  the  limbs,  followed  by  extreme  nervous  pros- 
tration, with  excruciating  pains  in  the  head.  The  patient 
becomes  distracted  and  tosses  about  in  deep  fear.  In  many 
cases  death  intervenes  during  the  first  twenty-four  hours  of 
the  attack.  Cases  are  recorded  where  the  victim  succumbed 
to  the  disease  in  less  than  three  hours.     The  glands  of  the 

neck  are  usually  much  swollen,  and  dark  spots  appear  on 
(516) 


THE    BLACK    DEATH.  51/ 

the  skin.  This  last  symptom  gave  the  disease  the  name  of 
the  black  death. 

In  the  fourteenth  century  the  plague  invaded  Europe, 
and,  according  to  statistics  resulting  from  an  inquiry  made 
by  Pope  Clement  VI.,  the  total  number  of  victims  of  the 
dread  disease  is  given  at  42,800,000.  Other  authorities  give 
tlie  total  deaths  as  25,000,000.  These  figures  are  startling 
and  will  serve  to  show  the  deadl}'  nature  of  the  disease. 
The  cities  of  London  and  Venice  each  lost  one  hundred 
thousand  of  their  people.  The  deaths  in  Germany  were 
given  at  a  million  and  a  half,  and  Italy  lost  fully  one-half  of 
her  population. 

In  1656  the  most  destructive  of  all  recorded  epidemics 
in  Europe  raged  in  Naples,  when,  it  is  said,  300,000  people 
perished  in  about  five  months.  In  1665  occurred  the  last 
Great  Plague  in  London.  In  a  few  months  68,596  people 
perished  out  of  a  population  of  460,000,  two-thirds  of  whom 
are  supposed  to  have  fled  in  order  to  escape  the  ravages  of 
the  disease.  The  last  outbreak  of  the  plague  in  Europe  oc- 
curred in  1878-79,  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Volga.  It 
caused  a  panic  throughout  Europe,  but  was  confined  to  the 
villages  surrounding  the  place  where  it  first  appeared. 

In  the  old  time  God  sent  plagues  upon  the  nations  be- 
cause of  their  sins.  If  ever  there  was  a  time  when  sin 
needs  rebuke,  it  would  seem  that  we  are  living  in  that 
time  to-da}-, — so-called  Christian  Europe  allowing  the  Mo- 
hammedans to  massacre  the  Armenian  Christians  and  pro- 
tecting the  Moslem  from  the  righteous  indignation  of  the 
Greeks.  A  day  with  the  Lord  is  as  a  thousand  years  and  a 
thousand  years  as  a  day.  But  the  sins  of  nations  will  not 
go  unpunished.  Because  of  sin  the  plague  fell  upon  the 
Israelites  in  the  days  of  David.     Because  of  sin  it  may  fall 


5l8  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

upon  the  nations  of  Europe  at  the  close  of  the  nineteenth 
century. 

The  Windsor  proved  to  be  a  comfortable  hotel.  The 
Chinese  servants  were  kind  and  obliging,  the  food  was  well 
prepared  after  the  American  method  of  cooking,  and  had  it 
not  been  for  the  fact  that  the  plague  was  prevailing  we 
might  have  spent  a  month  in  China  very  comfortably.  The 
Chinese  waiters  speak  what  is  known  as  "  Pidgin  English," 
a  mixture  of  sounds,  at  first  quite  difficult  to  understand. 
The  elevator  bo\-  soon  learned  that  our  room  was  on  the  up- 
per floor,  and  his  wa}'  of  stating  the  fact  was,  "  Melican  man 
loom  topside."  The  "  r"  is  too  much  for  the  vocal  organs 
of  John,  and  he  invariably  substitutes  "  1."  To  him  the  top 
or  upper  is  alwa\-s  "  topside."  He  seems  to  think  that  out- 
side and  inside  should  be  supplemented  with  topside  and 
bottomside.  One  of  the  statements  made  to  us  was,  "  I 
ling  glong  seven  clock  you  leady  eat." 

At  Hong  Kong  and  Canton,  as  at  Singapore,  the  com- 
mon means  of  rapid  transit  is  the  sedan  chair.  It  is  some- 
what different  in  appearance  from  those  seen  along  the 
Straits  of  Malacca,  as  may  be  seen  by  a  comparison  of  our 
fine  photogravures,  on  pages  501  and  519.  A  very  comfort- 
able chair  is  fastened  to  and  suspended  between  two 
bamboo  poles,  wide  enough  apart  to  rest  on  each  shoulder 
of  the  carriers.  You  take  your  seat  in  the  chair,  and  two 
strong  men  kneel  down  between  the  poles,  one  at  each  end. 
Placing  one  pole  on  each  shoulder,  they  rise  to  their  feet 
and  start  off  at  a  half  trot.  In  the  narrow,  dirty,  crowded 
streets  of  Canton  and  the  Chinese  quarter  in  Hong  Kong, 
where  walking  is  at  times  unsafe  and  entirely  out  of  the 
question,  the  sedan  chair  is  the  only  means  by  which  the 
traveler  can  be  taken  from  place  to  place  with  safety.  The 
chairs  here  are  made  with  a  view  to  comfort,  and  are  finely 


< 
u 


> 


DENSITY    OF    POPULATION.  521 

finished,  showing  considerable  skill  in  workmanship.  A 
cover,  made  of  waterproof  material,  is  attached  to  protect 
the  passenger  from  the  rays  of  the  sun  and  from  the  rain, 
so  common  at  this  season  of  the  year  on  this  part  of  the 
Chinese  coast.  When  one  overcomes  the  natural  aversion 
— only  a  prejudice  after  all — to  being  carried  about  on  men's 
shoulders,  the  sedan  chair  is  found  to  be  a  comfortable  and 
easy  means  of  transit.  It  is  much  slower,  however,  than 
the  jinrikishas.  But  the  chair  will  take  }'ou  where  the 
tu  o-wheeled  "  pull-man-car  "  cannot  go.  But  think  of  a 
large  city  where  the  most  rapid  means  of  transit  is  the  se- 
dan chair!  At  home  the  horse  car  has  long  been  too  slow 
for  our  people.  Electricity  has  come  to  solve  the  problem 
of  rapid  transit  in  our  cities.  In  the  Orient  the  donkey,  the 
camel,  the  jinrikisha  and  the  sedan  chair  are  fast  enough 
for  these  easy,  slow-going  people.  Verily  the  Oriental 
clings  to  the  ways  of  his  father. 

But  little  attention  is  paid  to  sanitary  conditions  in  the 
cities  of  China.  Sewerage  is  neglected,  the  streets  are  nar- 
row and  the  houses  are  crowded  with  human  beings.  It  is  a 
matter  of  amazement  to  the  traveler  to  know  how  many 
people  can  be  stowed  away  in  an  ordinary  Chinese  house. 
Canton  has  a  population  of  a  million,  and  you  wonder  where 
the  people  live.  No  marvel  that  the  plague  carries  off  so 
many  of  them;  the  wonder  is  that  the  death  rate  is  not 
much  higher  than  it  is.  The  narrow  streets  are  paved  with 
cut  stone,  and  during  the  heat  of  the  day  are  shaded  with 
awnings.  The)-  are  lumbered  with  articles  for  sale,  and  dur- 
ing the  busy  part  of  the  day  are  overcrowded  with  natives. 
Our  picture  on  page  523  shows  a  narrow  business  street 
after  the  business  of  the  day  has  closed,  and  only  the  mer- 
chants are  left  to  look  after  and  care  for  their  wares.  The 
Chinese  merchant  sets  forth  his  virtues  on  his  signboard. 


522  GIRDLINC;    THE    GLOBE. 

You  ma)'  read,  if  you  can  master  the  hieroglyphics,  such 
signs  as  these,  "  Unselfish  Generosity,"  "  Benevolence  and 
Justice,"  "  Peace  and  Righteousness,"  "  Friendship  and 
Fidelity."  These  high-sounding  phrases  are  supposed  to 
set  forth  the  excellent  character  of  the  trader;  but  it  is  said 
he  falls  far  below  the  standard  he  sets  for  himself.  The 
name  of  the  merchant  seldom  appears  on  the  signboard,  but 
his  keenness  and  sagacity  are  made  known  in  phrases  like 
this:  "  No  credit  given  here;  we  have  grown  wise  by  expe- 
rience." He  also  informs  his  patrons  that  "  No  cheating 
is  done  here."  The  inscriptions  like  the  last  are  not  always 
appropriate.  Here  is  one  copied  frorn  a  sign  above  the 
door  of  an  opium  den:  "  May  health  and  happiness  rest  on 
all  who  enter  here."  The  sentiment  ex«pressed  is  as  much 
out  of  place  over  the  door  of  an  opium  den  as  it  would  be 
over  that  of  a  rum  shop  in  Chicago  or  New  York. 

Morally,  the  Chinese  standard,  like  that  of  all  heathen 
nations,  is  very  low.  Paul's  description,  in  Romans  i,  of  the 
depravity  of  the  Imperial  City  may  be  applied  to  the  great 
mass  of  the  people  in  China.  Those  who  have  made  a  care- 
ful study  of  the  Chinese,  and  their  moral  and  social  life,  say 
that  while  there  are  among  them  some  excellent  traits  of 
character,  yet  side  by  side  with  these  "  are  found  habits 
which  are  gross  and  sensual,  and  practices  which  reveal  a 
sorry  lack  of  cultured  moral  sense." 

Like  the  Hindu,  the  average  Chinaman  has  no  idea  of 
the  beaut)-  of  truthfulness  or  the  moral  depravity  of  l)'ing. 
He  seems  to  be  without  conscience  on  the  subject.  It  is 
said,  that  "  to  lie  is  with  them  a  sort  of  Spartan  virtue 
Parents  feel  pleased  at  the  dexterity  with  which  a  child  of 
theirs  can  lie.  The)'  regard  it  as  a  touch  of  genius — a  hope- 
ful sign  that  their  son  will  make  his  way  in  the  world." 

In  trading,  this   infirmity  is  made  manifest.     The  mer- 


Stref.t    in    Hon'g    Kong. 


PILFERING    CHINAMEN.  525 

chant  on  whose  sign  you  read  "  Benevolence  and  Justice," 
will  tell  you  with  all  the  earnestness  of  apparent  truthful- 
ness that  the  article  which  he  is  offering  you  for  four  dol- 
lars, and  which  would  be  dear  at  half  the  price,  cost  him 
three  dollars  and  ninety  cents,  and  that  he  is  charging  you 
ten  cents  profit  for  keeping  it  and  for  the  trouble  of  selling 
it  to  \ou.  If  you  offer  him  two  dollars  for  it  he  will  declare 
he  is  losing  money  and  being  ruined,  but  in  the  end  you  get 
the  article,  only  to  find  out  later  that  }ou  have  paid  two 
prices  for  it. 

In  "  Everyday  Life  in  China"  we  find  this  reference  to  the 
deceptive  propensities  of  the  people:  "The  ingenuit}-  of  the 
Chinaman  comes  out  strongly  in  his  pilfering  habits.  As 
we  said  of  their  lying,  where  affection  or  self-interest  con- 
strain them,  they  are  all  that  could  be  wished.  The  same  is 
true  of  honesty.  Valuables  may  be  safel\-  intrusted  with  a 
man  who  has  sufficient  reason  to  be  honest;  but  all  is  fair 
gain  that  can  be  safely  gotten,  is  the  loose  principle  of 
'  childlike  and  bland'  John  Chinaman.  Robbery  becomes  a 
high  art  with  certain  classes,  especially  as  the  New  Year  ap- 
proaches. Several  years  ago,  while  the  supreme  court  of 
Hong  Kong  was  in  session,  a  man  entered  the  court  room 
with  a  ladder,  which  he  proceeded  to  place  upon  a  bench 
near  the  judge.  The  judge  and  counsel  were  annoyed  at 
the  ill-timed  procedure  and  asked  what  he  wanted.  He 
said  he  had  been  sent  to  fetch  the  clock  to  be  cleaned.  In 
a  rash  moment  the  judge  said  that,  seeing  he  was  already 
upon  the  ladder,  he  might  as  well  take  the  clock  there  and 
then,  instead  of  coming  back  for  it  at  a  more  convenient 
season,  and  so  he  did;  but  the  clock  was  never  heard  of 
more!  We  have  known  a  housetop  stripped  of  its  lead  by 
persons  who  said  they  had  been  sent  to  repair  it.  One  al- 
most feels  as  though  they  had  earned  it  by  their  daring!  " 


526  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

A  very  peculiar  phase  of  Chinese  life  is  to  be  found 
amony;  the  dwellers  on  the  water.  House-boats  are  com- 
mon on  all  the  rivers  and  harbors  of  China.  Tens  of  thou- 
sands are  born,  live,  and  die  on  and  in  the  house-boats. 
They  go  ashore  only  to  sell  fish  and  bu)-  such  things  as  are 
necessary  to  supply  their  very  limited  wants.  They  are  at 
home  on  the  water.  The  day  we  steamed  away  from  Hong 
Kong  several  house-boats  cast  anchor  alongside  the  "  An- 
cona,"  and  from  the  deck  we  had  an  opportunity  to  study 
some  phases  of  this  peculiar  life.  We  watched  with  inter- 
est the  movements  of  a  large  family  on  one  of  the  boats. 
The  mother,  with  a  year-old  babe  strapped  to  her  back,  was 
busily  engaged  in  preparing  the  noonday  meal  for  her  nu- 
merous progeny.  A  large  pot,  set  over  the  fire  which  was 
burning  on  a  kind  of  hearth  placed  on  the  deck,  was  boiling, 
and  as  the  woman  lifted  the  lid  and  stirred  the  contents  the 
odor  of  cooking  rice  came  to  us  on  the  ship.  Half  a  dozen 
children  were  plaj'ing  about  the  deck  and  were  having  a 
good  time  generally.  Around  the  neck  of  the  smaller  chil- 
dren is  tied  a  heavy  cord,  to  which  is  attached  a  piece  of 
bamboo.  If,  in  their  romping  about  the  deck,  one  of  them 
falls  overboard,  which  often  happens,  the  mother  fishes  the 
little  one  out  of  the  water  with  a  boat-hook,  the  cord  about 
the  neck,  with  the  bamboo  attached,  being  very  convenient 
for  that  purpose. 

When  the  woman  gave  the  signal  for  dinner,  the  father 
and  more  children  came  from  below  deck.  They  squatted 
down,  forming  a  circle  around  the  dinner  pot,  ten  in  num- 
ber. The  mother  gave  each  of  them  a  china  bowl  filled 
with  the  steaming  hot  rice.  Spoons,  knives  or  forks  were 
not  used,  chop-sticks  taking  the  place  of  these  useful  arti- 
cles. It  is  surprising  how  skillfully  these  two  straight,  thin 
sticks,  about  seven  inches  in  length,  can  be  used  in  convey- 


A   Chinese    Woman. 


SMALL    FEET.  529 

ing  food  from  dish  or  bowl  to  the  mouth.  The  dinner  end- 
ed, the  chop-sticks  were  cleaned  by  drawing  them  through 
the  hand,  the  bowls  were  washed  in  a  little  water  dipped 
from  the  sea,  and  the  woman's  work  was  done  for  the  time. 

One  of  the  most  distressing  customs  or  fashions  to  be 
observed  in  China  is  that  of  arresting  the  growth  of  the  feet 
in  childhood,  so  that  when  the  girl  baby  has  grown  to 
womanhood  she  ma}-  shine  in  the  highest  ranks  of  fashion 
and  aristocracy,  because  of  the  smallness  of  her  feet.  In 
early  childhood,  when  the  bones  and  cartilage  are  soft,  the 
feet  are  bandaged  and  compressed  in  such  a  way  that 
growth  is  impossible.  For  several  years  the  process  is  said 
to  be  extremely  painful,  and  the  little  v'ictim  to  the  de- 
mands of  custom  and  fashion  can  onl\'  cry  and  moan  in 
agony  until  the  feet  become  wasted  and  bloodless,  and  in- 
sensible to  pain.  A  photograph  of  a  Chinese  lady's  feet 
shows  that  all  the  toes,  except  the  great  one,  are  turned 
under  and  are  to  be  seen  only  on  the  sole  of  the  foot.  At 
Hong  Kong  we  purchased  several  pairs  of  shoes,  such  as  are 
worn  b}-  the  ladies  of  that  country.  The  inner  measure  is 
exactly  three  inches  in  length,  and  at  the  heel,  the  widest 
part  of  the  shoe,  an  inch  and  a  quarter  in  width.  The  shoe 
tapers  to  a  point  lilce  the  most  fashionable  tooth-pick  shoes, 
now  so  generally  worn  in  our  own  country. 

The  Chinese  women,  whose  feet  are  deformed  as  before 
described,  find  it  a  very  dif^cult  matter  to  walk,  and  many 
of  them  must  be  carried  from  place  to  place  b}'  servants. 
Their  "golden  lilies,"  as  they  call  their  feet,  are  so  de- 
formed and  weak  that  they  cannot  bear  the  weight  imposed 
upon  them.  We  saw  several  of  them  tr}ing  to  walk,  and 
their  steps  were  as  short  and  as  unsteady  as  those  of  a  child 
taking  its  first  lessons  in  walking.  It  will  be  understood 
that  this  fashion  prevails  only  among  the  rich  Mandarins — a 


530  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

wealthy,  office-holding  caste — and  that  the  common  people 
appear  to  have  too  much  good  sense  to  follow  this  hurtful 
and  ridiculous  fashion  set  up  by  the  upper  class. 

In  our  own  civilized  and  Christianized  country  we  won- 
der how  people  can  be  so  silly  as  to  follow  such  sense- 
less and  injurious  fashions  as  prevail  in  heathen  lands. 
There  is  no  accounting  for  taste  in  fashion.  The  Chinese 
compress  their  feet  and  Christians  compress  their  waists  by 
tight  lacing.  Of  the  two  evils  eminent  physicians  do  not 
hesitate  to  say  that  the  latter  is  by  far  the  more  injurious 
to  the  health  of  the  devotee  of  fashion.  The  feet  are  de- 
formed by  the  Chinese,  but  the  more  important  organs  of 
the  body  are  not  interfered  with.  The  Christian,  by  tight 
lacing,  compresses,  deforms,  and  displaces  the  vital  organs, 
and  ill  health,  suffering,  and  a  broken  constitution  result. 
These  evils  fall  not  onl)-  on  those  who  indulge  in  the  hurtful 
fashions,  but  upon  unborn  generations.  A  comparison  of 
the  follies,  excesses,  and  injuries  entailed  by  following  the 
goddess  of  fashion,  is  fully  as  favorable  to  the  heathen  as  to 
the  Christian. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


Frojii  China  to  Japan  —  A  Staunch  Steamer  and  a  Rough  Sea —  Trust- 
ing in  God  —  A  Dangerous    Coast  —  Nagasaki — General  Grant's 

Tree  —  A  Touching  Incident —  The  Inland  Sea  of  Japan  —  Kobe 
—  A  Japafiese  Passport  —  Journey  to  Kioto —  The  Politeness  of  the 
Japanese —  The  Ancient  Capital  of  Japan  —  Historical —  Will 
A  dams  —  Commodore  Perry  —  The  Japanese  Dress  —  A  bsence  of 
Jeivcby  —  The  Kioto  Jinrikisha  —  The  Temple  oj  Kwannon  —  One 

Thousand  and  One  Images  —  The  Buddha. 

I  FIND  in  my  notebook  under  date  of  March  13,  i8g6, 
the  following  entry:  To-day  at  noon  the  English  steamer 
"  Ancona,"  three  thousand  tons  burden,  swung  around  in 
the  harbor  of  Hong  Kong  and  our  voyage  from  China  to 
Japan  began.  A  strong  wind  was  blowing  from  the  north- 
east and  the  feeling  was  pretty  general  among  the  passen- 
gers that  we  should  have  a  rough  passage.  This  feeling 
was  intensified  when  orders  were  given  to  take  down  awn- 
ings and  close  portholes  and  hatchways.  The  few  sails  the 
ship  carried  were  securely  lashed  to  the  \"arcis  and  every 
rope  and  chain  made  tight.  We  were  prepared  for  the 
storm  if  it  came.  There  is  wisdom  in  being  ready,  and 
these  preparations  gave  us  all  confidence  in  our  captain. 
Outside  the  harbor  the  sea  was  rough,  but  our  course  lay 
through  the  Straits  of  Formosa,  so  that  we  had  the  protec- 
tion of  the  land  for  some  distance.  Then  came  the  wide 
stretch  of  sea  where  wind  and  waves  had  full  pla}\  The 
storm  swept  down  with  increasing  force  from  the  Yellow 
Sea,  piling  up   the  water  into  hills  and  ridges,  tossing  our 

staunch  little  steamer  to  and  fro  on  the  crest  of  the  waves, 

(531) 


532  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

to  the  full  content  of  those  who  enjoy  a  storm  at  sea,  and 
to  the  great  discomfort  of  those  who  fall  an  easy  prey  to 
seasickness. 

The  night  came  down  on  the  sea  with  inky  blackness, 
and  the  storm  wind  howled  and  shrieked  as  it  swept  across 
the  foaming,  seething  waters.  It  was  a  wild  night.  Before 
going  to  our  cabins  we  commended  ourselves  to  him  in 
whom  we  trust.  Then  we  sang,  not  only  with  our  lips  but 
from  the  innermost  depth  of  the  soul: 

"Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul, 
Let  me  to  thy  bosom  fly, 
While  the  nearer  waters  roll. 
While  the  tempest  still  is  high; 
Hide  me,  O  my  Savior,  hide, 
Till  the  storm  of  life  is  past; 
Safe  into  the  haven  guide, 
O  receive  my  soul  at  last." 

What  if  the  storm  comes  and  the  billows  roll,  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Shepherd  we  sought  and  found  refuge,  and 
so  through  the  night  we  slept  the  sleep  of  rest  and  peace. 
What  a  power  there  is  in  prayer,  in  this  that  while  God 
does  not  remove  the  ills  of  life  from  us  he  gives  us,  as  he 
did  Paul,  grace  to  bear  them.  And  so  amid  the  storms  of 
life  we  may  lie  down  in  trustful  peace,  knowing  that  God 
will  do  that  which  is  best.  Shipwreck  may  come,  a  watery 
grave  may  be  our  lot,  but  if  so  it  will  be  an  open  gateway  to 
a  home  where  storms  never  come.  Is  it  not  best  to  take 
this  broader  view  of  God's  dealings  with  us?  Do  we  not 
often  belittle  God's  providence  by  our  narrow  views  and  ex- 
treme selfishness?  God,  help  me  to  see  thy  wonderful  good- 
ness and  mercy  in  all  thy  dealings  with  me. 

The  wind  abated  somewhat  during  the  night,  but  the 
storm    clouds   still   cover  the   sk'/.      We   have    not    had   a 


PORT    NAGASAKI.  533 

glimpse  of  the  sun  for  two  weeks,  and  how  we  long  for  the 
bright  sunlight  of  India  and  the  Isle  of  Spices. 

All  day  we  coast  along  the  southern  shores  of  China. 
The  captain  of  the  "  Ancona  "  tells  us  this  is  the  most  dan- 
gerous sea  in  the  world  to  navigate  and  that  many  good 
ships  are  wrecked  in  these  waters  every  )'ear.  We  pass 
many  rocks  that  seem  dangerously  near  to  our  ship,  as 
they  are  partly  hidden  by  the  water;  but  still  they  are  far 
enough  away  when  the  water  is  smooth.  But  woe  to  the 
luckless  mariner  whose  craft  is  caught  here  by  the  t\'phoon. 
Certain  destruction  awaits  him. 

Four  days  out  from  Hong  Kong  we  cast  anchor  in  the 
harbor  of  Nagasaki,  one  of  the  ports  of  Japan,  and  have 
our  first  experience  among  the  Japanese,  who  are  by  far  the 
most  interesting  people  in  the  Orient.  As  we  remained  at 
this  port  but  half  a  day  we  had  no  time  for  extended  obser- 
vation. We  saw  something  of  the  old  city  which  is  without 
special  interest  outside  of  its  people,  who  are  always  inter- 
esting. Near  the  city  is  a  beautiful  garden  or  park.  The 
jinrikishas  were  ready  to  take  us  to  the  garden,  and  we  spent 
part  of  the  time  very  pleasantly  strolling  about  the  well- 
kept  place.  At  one  place  we  noticed  a  granite  block  upon 
which  is  engraved  the  following  letter,  in  the  well-known 
handwriting  of  General  Grant: 

Nagasaki,  Japan,  June  22,  1879. 
At  the  request  of  Gov.  Utsuma  Mrs.  Grant  and  I  each 
planted  a  tree  in  the  Nagasaki  Park.  I  hope  both  trees 
may  prosper,  grow  large,  live  long,  and  this  growth,  pros- 
perity and  long  life  may  be  emblematical  of  the  future  of 
Japan.  U.  S.  Grant. 

Near  by  the  tablet  stand  the  trees  planted  nearly  a 
score  of  years  ago.  Their  growth  in  no  way  indicated  the 
length  of  the  lives  of  those  who  planted  them.     The  one 


534  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

planted  b\-  the  cjreat  <^eneral  prospers,  f^rows  and  gives 
promise  of  long  life,  while  the  one  planted  by  Mrs  Grant  is 
dead  and  will  soon  be  rotted  away.  Only  a  few  years  after 
the  trees  were  planted  Grant  closed  his  earthl)-  career.  His 
wife  still  survives  him. 

From  Nagasaki  our  course  lay  through  the  Inland  Sea 
of  Japan,  one  of  the  n:ost  beautiful  and  picturesque  bodies 
of  water  in  the  East.  It  is  bordered  with  undulating  hills 
and  valleys,  covered  with  a  carpet  of  green,  and  dotted  here 
and  there  with  thriving  cities  and  towns.  This  part  of  the 
voyage  was  delightfully  pleasant,  and  we  enjoyed  it  all  the 
better  because  of  the  rough  experience  of  the  preceding 
da)'s. 

As  we  steamed  across   this  beautiful  body  of  water  an 
incident  occurred   which   no  one  who  witnessed  it  will  soon 
forget.     We  had  on  board  the  "  Ancona  "   the  wife  of  the 
captain  of  a  sister  ship,   the  "Verona,"  and  the  two  vessels 
running  between  Yokohama  and  Hong  Kong  would  meet 
and  pass  within  a  hundred  yards  of  each  other  on  the  Inland 
Sea.     The  wife  was  anxious  to  see  and  greet  her  husband  as 
he  passed,  and  the   passengers  were  all    interested    in   her 
wifel)-    devotion.      Presently    the    "Verona"    appeared    in 
sight,  and  the  captain's  wife  stationed  herself  on  the  upper 
deck  and   waited  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  her  husband   as  he 
passed   by.     We    all    watched    with    her,   and   as  the    ships 
neared  each  other  the  husband's  voice  was  heard,  and  greet- 
ings were  exchanged  as  the  ship  moved  rapidly  on.     It  was 
a  pleasant  incident,  and  }-et  it  had  a  sad  side — husband  and 
wife  so  close  together   and  \'et  so  far  apart.     As  the  ships 
drew  rapidly  awa}-  from  each  other  I  thought  of  the  day  of 
judgment,  when  man)-  a  husband  and  wife  will  pass  one  to 
the  right,   the  other   to  the  left,  and  w  ill  see  each  other  no 
more. 


TRAVELING    INLAND.  535 

Arriving  at  Kobe,  an  important  seaport  of  Japan,  we 
decided,  provided  we  could  secure  passports,  to  leave  the 
"  Ancona "  and  proceed  by  railway  to  Yokohama.  This 
would  give  us  an  opportunity  to  see  something  of  the  in- 
terior of  Japan  and  to  become  better  acquainted  with  the 
people  and  their  manners  and  customs.  Without  a  pass- 
port a  foreigner  cannot  travel  inland  beyond  the  narrow 
treaty  limits  of  the  open  ports.  Accordingly  I  trudged 
through  the  rain  to  the  United  States  Consulate,  where  the 
state  paper  was  to  be  had  for  the  asking  and  the  payment 
of  one  yen — about  fifty  cents  of  our  money.  The  consul 
was  absent,  but  his  assistant,  a  gentlemanly  Japanese,  ar- 
ranged the  matter  and  we  were  soon  in  possession  of  the 
needed  papers.  The  passport  was  printed  in  Japanese. 
The  English  translation  attached  reads  as  follows: 

Consulate  of  the  United  St.ates  of  America. 
At  Hiogo,  March  19,  i8g6. 
The  annexed  passport  has  been  granted  to  the  citizens 
of  the  United  States  whose  names  appear  below,  by  the 
Hiogo  Ken-Cho,  for  travel  in  the  interior,  at  the  request  of 
the  undersigned  officer,  through  whom  it  must  be  returned 
at  its  expiration.  The  bearers  are  expressly  cautioned  to 
observe,  in  every  particular,  the  directions  of  the  Japanese 
Government  printed  in  Japanese  characters  on  the  back  of 
the  passport,  an  English  translation  of  which  is  given  here- 
with, and  they  are  expected  and  required  to  conduct  them- 
selves in  an  orderly  and  conciliatory  manner  towards  the 
Japanese  authorities  and  people. 

The  directions  accompanying  the  passport  say  that 
upon  request  the  traveler  must  show  the  paper  to  any 
officer  or  innkeeper  for  inspection.  Failing  to  do  this,  he 
will  be  sent  back  to  the  nearest  open  port.  The  bearer 
must  not   rent  a  house  in  the  interior,  hunt,  or  use  firearms, 


536  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE, 

travel  in  a  carriage  by  night  without  a  light,  attend  a  fire  on 
horseback,  drive  rapidly  on  narrow  roads,  neglect  to  pay 
ferry  and  bridge  tolls,  injure  notice  signs,  house  signs  and 
mile  posts,  scribble  on  temple  or  shrine  walls,  injure  crops, 
shrubs,  trees  or  plants,  trespass  on  fields,  or  light  fires  in 
woods  or  hills  or  moors. 

The  numerous  prohibitions  on  the  official  document  did 
not  interfere  with  the  pleasure  of  our  tour  through  the  coun- 
try. We  had  not  the  remotest  idea  of  attending  fires  on 
horseback  or  of  renting  a  house  in  the  interior  or  of  kin- 
dling a  fire  on  hill  or  moor.  It  is  evident  that  the  Japanese 
are  acquainted  with  the  propensity  of  the  average  Ameri- 
can to  write  his  name  wherever  he  goes;  hence  the  prohibi- 
tion against  scribbling  on  temple  walls. 

Armed  with  our  passport,  which  threw  around  us  the 
protection  of  the  United  States,  we  left  Hiogo,  otherwise 
Kobe,  by  railway  for  Kyoto,  the  ancient  capital  of  Japan 
and  by  far  the  most  interesting  city  in  all  the  country. 
Railroading  in  Japan  is  much  like  railroading  in  other  parts 
of  the  world.  The  cars  were  comfortable,  the  seats  facing  ■ 
each  other  with  a  spacious  aisle  in  the  center.  The  floor  of 
the  coaches  was  covered  with  heavy  rugs,  and  closed  flat 
tin  vessels  filled  with  hot  water  furnished  a  grateful  warmth, 
for  the  air  was  damp  and  cold  outside.  The  roadbed  was 
firm  and  the  train  ran  without  jolting  or  jarring.  The  rate 
of  speed  did  not  exceed  twenty-five  miles  an  hour;  numer- 
ous stops  were  made  to  let  off  and  take  on  passengers. 

Our  first  impression  of  the  people  was  favorable  to 
them.  We  found  them  polite,  courteous,  kind-hearted  and 
well  disposed  toward  Americans.  Their  politeness  and  cour- 
tesy is  so  strongly  marked,  and  so  manifest  on  all  sides,  that 
it  may  be  set  down  as  a  national  characteristic.  During 
our  two  months'  stay  in  Japan   we  never  saw  an   exception 


CITY    OF    THE    MIKADOS.  537 

to  the  general  rule  of  refined  courtesy  on  the  part  of  those 
with  whom  we  came  ui  contact.  From  the  highest  official  in 
government  circles  to  the  Coolie  who  pulls  your  jinrikisha 
through  the  streets  you  w  ill  receive  the  most  polite  atten- 
tion. The  officials  in  charge  of  the  train  were  as  polite  as 
the  most  refined  gentlemen.  Rudeness  was  entirely  out  of 
the  question  with  them. 

At  five  in  the  evening  the  train  rolled  into  the  depot, 
and  half  an  hour  later  we  were  going  through  the  streets  of 
the  old  capital  of  Japan,  jinrikisha  fashion,  for  the  Kyoto 
hotel,  where  we  found  very  pleasant  and  comfortable  quar- 
ters during  our  stay  in  the  City  of  the  IVIikados. 

A  few  facts  as  to  Japan  historically  may  not  be  without 
interest.  The  ancient  history  of  the  Japanese  is  so  mingled 
w  ith  the  fiction  of  mythology  and  the  supernatural  that  it  is 
wholly  unreliable.  Shintoism  was  the  religion  of  the  peo- 
ple; it  means,  literally,  the  "  way  of  the  gods."  The  em- 
perors were,  according  to  this  belief,  descendants  of  the 
gods  and  divine  honors  were  paid  them  living  or  dead. 
The  motto  of  the  times  was,  "  Obey  the  emperor  and  be 
happy."  This  intermingling  of  the  human  and  the  divine 
led  to  the  belief  that  the  rulers  possessed  miraculous  pow- 
ers, and  wonderful  stories  are  told  of  them.  No  depen- 
dence can  be  placed  on  the  records  prior  to  the  fifth  century 
of  our  era.  Even  the  annals  of  the  sixth  and  seventh  centu- 
ries cannot  be  accepted  with  full  credence. 

About  A.  D.  600  the  nation  was  converted  to  the 
teaching  of  Buddha.  From  India  the  teachers  of  this  doc- 
trine went  into  China,  from  where,  in  a  corrupted  stream. 
Buddhism  was  carried  into  Japan.  Shintoism  was  not,  how- 
ever, overthrown.  It  was  taken  into  Buddhism  and  the  two 
exist  in  Japan  to-day. 

Coming  down  to  later  times,  the  first  Englishman  that 


533  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

ever  resided  in  Japan  was  a  sea  captain  by  the  name  of 
Adams.  On  A[)ril  ig,  1600,  in  a  heavy  storm  he  ran  his 
ship  into  tiie  harbor  of  Nagasaki,  where  he  was  taken  pris- 
oner and  carried  before  the  emperor.  The  ruler  was  shrewd 
enough  to  recognize  in  Adams  an  able  and  useful  man,  and 
from  that  time  until  his  death  in  1620  he  remained  an  exile 
from  his  native  land.  He  was  retained  at  the  Japanese 
court  and  employed  as  a  ship-builder  and  a  teacher  of  ways 
P^nglish,  and  later  as  an  agent  to  treat  with  other  English 
traders  who  now  began  to  visit  the  ports  of  Japan.  Adams 
often  referred  to  his  wife  and  children  in  England,  and  re- 
iterated a  desire  to  return  to  them  again;  but  he  died  with- 
out having  his  desire  gratified.  It  would  seem  that  the  em- 
peror amph'  rewarded  the  old  sea  captain  for  his  services. 
In  a  quaint  letter  written  by  another  adventurer,  who  visited 
Adams  on  his  estate  at  Hemi,  we  have  this  account:  "  The 
estate  is  a  Lordshipp  given  to  Capt.  Adams  per  the  ould 
Emperour  to  hym  and  his  foreaver,  and  confermed  to  his 
sonne,  called  Joseph.  There  is  above  100  farms,  or  hous- 
holds,  uppon  it,  besides  others  under  them,  all  of  which  are 
his  vassals,  and  he  hath  power  of  l)fe  and  death  over  them, 
they  being  his  slaves;  and  he  having  as  absolute  authoritie 
over  them  as  any  king  in  Japan  hath  over  his  vassals." 

Not  to  an  Englishman,  however,  but  to  an  American 
belongs  the  praise  and  the  title  to  lasting  fame  for  having 
thrown  open  the  door  of  eastern  Asia  to  the  world.  Japan 
stubbornly  refused  to  acknowledge  the  existence  of  an  out- 
side world.  Japan  for  the  Japanese  and  death  to  foreigners 
was  the  motto  inscribed  on  her  banners.  For  more  than 
two  centuries  she  shut  herself  up  in  timid  seclusion  and 
admitted  no  foreigner  to  her  soil.  The  barrier  was  broken 
by  Commodore  Perry,  of  the  United  States  Navy.  In  July, 
1853,  his  fleet  anchored  off  Uraga,  a  port  at  the  entrance  of 


PROGRESSIVE    JAPAN.  539 

Yeddo  Bay.     The  Japanese  sought  to  prevent  his  landing, 
but  setting  aside  every  obstacle  he  succeeded  in  placing  in 
the  hands  of  the  emperor  the  letter  of  President   Filmore 
demanding   the    opening  of   the  ports  of  Japan  to  United 
States  ships  and  the  establishment  of  commercial  relations. 
Having  accomplished  his  purpose,  he  proceeded  to  China, 
promising  to  return  the  next  }'ear  for  an  answer.     The  re- 
sult was  the  first  foreign  treaty  ever  made  b\'  Japan.     It  was 
signed  at  Kanagawa,  now  Yokohama,  on  the  31st  of  March, 
1854.     By  this  treaty  two  ports  were  opened  to  American 
trade  and  the  barrier  was  thrown  down.     England,    France 
and  Russia  followed  in   Perry's  train  and  the  port  of  Yoko- 
hama was  thrown  open  to  the  world.     In   1860-61  the  em- 
peror of  Japan  sent  an  embassy  to  the  United  States,  and 
the  New  Japan  entered  upon  its  existence.     It  resulted  in  a 
re\-olution  "  which,  after  plunging  Japan  into  confusion  and 
bloodshed,  has  regenerated  on  Western  lines  all  her  institu- 
tions, ideas,  and  aims, —  this,  which  it  takes  so  few  words  to 
sa\',  but  which  implies  so  much,  is  the  result  of  what  Perry 
was   instrumental  in  doing.     Many   things   precious   to  the 
lovers  of  art  and  antiquit)'  perished  in   the  process,  for  old 
Japan  was  like  an  oyster: — to  open  it  was  to  kill  it." 

Perry's  peaceful  victory,  won  without  the  roar  of  can- 
non or  clash  of  arms,  marks  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  Japan. 
Her  progress  since  then  has  been  one  of  the  marvels  of  the 
century.  From  an  unknown,  illiterate  heathen  nation,  she 
has  in  forty  years  taken  her  place  among  the  progressive 
nations  of  the  world.  In  the  war  with  China  she  showed 
her  mettle,  and  in  a  few  sharp,  decisive  blows  brought  the 
Chinese  empire  to  her  feet.  In  the  diplomatic  and  commer- 
cial relations  that  exist  between  civilized  nations,  Japan, 
from  this  time  forward,  must  be  taken  into  account  as  an 
important  factor.     Her  future,  judging  from  the  past,  is  full 


540  GIRDLING   THE    flLOIsE. 

of  promise,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  hope  that  her  progress 
ma}'  open  up  the  vast  territory  of  China  to  the  Christianiz- 
ing and  civilizing  influence  now  so  active  in  most  parts  of 
the  world. 

Japan,  called  Nippon  in  the  native  tongue,  means  liter- 
ally, "  sun  origin,"  "  the  place  where  the  sun  comes  from." 
The  Chinese  gave  it  this  name  because  the  islands  were  east 
of  their  own  country  and  the  sun  appeared  to  them  to  rise 
out  of  the  archipelago.  Hence  its  poetical  name,  "The 
Land  of  the  Rising  Sun."  It  comprises  four  large  islands, 
with  about  four  thousand  smaller  ones  clustering  around  the 
larger.  Its  area,  exclusive  of  the  territory  recently  ac- 
quired by  treaty  from  China,  resulting  from  the  late  war,  is 
147,655  square  miles.  In  area  it  is  20,000  square  miles  less 
than  the  three  Western  States  of  Illinois,  Iowa  and  Nebras- 
ka, but  in  population  it  exceeds  them  about  six  to  one. 
According  to  the  census  of  1890  the  states  named  had  a 
population  of  7,077,666.  In  1893  the  census  of  Japan 
showed  a  population  of  41,089,940.  With  the  same  density 
of  population  the  United  States  would  contain  more  than 
three  hundred  million  souls,  a  condition  altogether  possi- 
ble to  be  realized  before  the  close  of  the  twentieth  cen- 
tury. 

K>oto,  the  western  capital,  and  until  1S69  the  residence 
of  the  imperial  family,  has  a  population  of  nearly  three 
hundred  thousand,  and  is,  as  already  intimated,  the  most  in- 
teresting city  in  Japan.  The  seaport  cities  are  more  or  less 
Europeanized.  In  them  many  of  the  natives  have  adopted 
the  costumes  worn  by  the  English  and  the  Americans,  but 
here  the  people  very  sensibly  cling  to  their  own  convenient 
and  healthful  style  of  dress.  During  our  stay  in  the  capital 
we  rode  about  the  streets  in  jinrikishas,  visited  the  most  im- 
portant temples,  the  imperial  palace  and  other  places  of  in- 


^ 

»■«- 

k 

ji 

pi 

/ 

^81^1% 

F^-^-r 

'0^  ^  ■■ 

Japanese    Ladies    in    Winter    Dress. 


JAPANESE    DRESS.  543 

terest,  and  during  that  period  we  did  not  see  a. Japanese 
lady  or  gentleman  dressed  in  American  or  European  cloth- 
ing.    In  this  they  show  their  good  sense  and  fine  taste. 

Speaking  in  a  general  way  about  the  dress  of  the  Japan- 
ese, the  kimono,  or  outer  garment,  resembles  an  American 
dressing  gown.  It  is  folded  across  the  breast,  leaving  the 
neck  exposed,  is  held  in  place  by  a  sash  or  belt,  and  is  worn 
alike  by  both  sexes,  the  principal  difference  being  in  the 
sleeves,  which  are  cut  square  and  are  made  larger  in  the 
dress  worn  by  the  women.  The  large  sleeves  are  utilized  as 
pockets  and  are  very  convenient  for  this  purpose. 

The  sash  or  belt  which  keeps  the  kimono  in  place  is 
formed  into  a  large  bow  on  the  back,  known  as  the  obi,  and 
is  the  principal  ornament  of  the  female  dress.  The  clothing 
is  plain,  especially  among  married  women,  loose-fitting, 
comfortable,  healthful  and  withal  neat  and  tasty.  No  at- 
tempt is  made  by  the  Japanese  women  to  compress  the 
waist  by  binding  it  in  steel  frame,  health-destroying  corsets, 
so  generally  worn  by  Christian  women  in  Europe  and 
America  to  improve  the  form  and  produce  a  wasp-like 
waist.  The  Japanese  ladies,  as  a  rule,  have  too  much  good 
common  sense  to  indulge  in  tight  lacing.  If  the  few  orna- 
ments worn  in  the  hair  be  excepted,  it  may  be  said  that 
jewelry  is  not  worn  by  the  women  of  Japan.  Among  the 
converts  to  Christianit}-  are  found  those  who,  following  the 
fashion  set  by  the  wives  of  some  of  the  missionaries,  wear 
jewelr}-;  but  this  is  the  exception  and  not  the  rule. 

The  wealthy  people  wear  kimonos  of  the  finest  quality 
of  silk,  and  Japan  produces  the  finest  silk  in  the  world. 
An  aristocratic  Japanese  lady's  dress  may  represent  a  value 
of  two  hundred  dollars,  and  between  this  and  the  Coolies' 
poor  trappings,  which  cost  two  dollars,  there  is  every 
grade  of  clothing  and   range  of  price.     As  the  fashion  of 


544  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

the  garments  does  not  change,  they  are  handed  down  from 
father  to  son  and  from  mother  to  daughter.  Think  of  a 
fashionable  lady  in  America  wearing  her  grandmother's 
gown!  She  would  be  the  observed  of  all  observers.  Since 
her  grandmother  was  a  young  lady  the  fashion  has  changed 
a  score  of  times.  Not  so  in  Japan.  The  fashion  of  the  kim- 
ono has  not  changed  in  a  score  of  generations.  No  time  is 
spent  by  the  Japanese  ladies  in  studying  the  latest  fashion 
plates,  or  racking  their  brains  about  the  latest  thing  out  in 
spring  or  winter  bonnets.  "  In  all  its  essentials,"  sa}'s  an 
author  who  has  made  a  careful  study  of  the  subject,  "  the  fe- 
male costume  of  Japan  has  remained  the  same,  decade  after 
decade;  graceful,  artistic,  comfortable,  and  wholesome. 
The  women  of  this  country  never  abbreviated  the  interval 
between  themselves  and  savagery  by  boring  holes  in  their 
ears  to  hang  baubles  there,  by  loading  their  fingers  with 
rings,  by  encasing  their  chests  in  frames  of  steel  and  bone, 
by  distorting  their  feet  with  high-heeled  shoes,  by  tricking 
their  heads  with  feathers,  and  by  sticking  dead  birds  over 
their  raiment." 

The  Japanese  ladies  take  great  pains  in  arranging  their 
hair,  which  is  always  jet  black  and  of  which  they  have  a 
great  wealth.  The  assistance  of  some  one  is  indispensable 
in  arranging  the  hair.  There  are  folds  and  braids  and  tiny 
ornamental  pins  and  tortoise  shell  combs  used  in  a  way  to 
produce  the  finest  effect.  At  night,  to  keep  her  coiffure  in- 
tact, the  lady  has  a  narrow  wooden  block  surmounted  with  a 
roll  of  cotton  for  a  pillow.  On  this  she  rests  her  neck,  and 
thus  keeps  her  hair  from  being  disarranged.  In  warm 
weather  she  appears  on  the  street  with  her  head  uncovered, 
while  in  the  winter  she  wears  a  cloth  over  the  head  and 
about  the  neck. 

The  children's  dress   is  much  like  that  of  their  elders, 


< 

X 


CO 

W 

< 

ft. 
< 


s 

t-H 


ADOPT    EUROPEAN    DRESS.  547 

The  child's  kimono  is  but  a  miniature  of  the  one  worn  by 
the  father  and  mother.  Every  child  wears  a  small  charm 
bag  at  its  side,  which  is  supposed  to  have  the  virtue  of 
keeping  evil  away  from  them.  It  is  made  of  bright  colored 
cloth  and  contains  the  mamori-fiida ,  or  charm.  Usually 
children  have  a  metal  tag  fastened  about  the  neck  with 
name  and  address  stamped  on  it.  In  the  event  of  their  be- 
ing lost  it  is  easy  to  locate  them.  Among  the  poor  class 
children  are  scantily  clad  even  in  the  winter,  and  in  summer 
they  run  about  clad  only  in  nature's  garb. 

Within  the  past  few  years  the  progressive  ideas  of  the 
people  have  led  some  of  them  to  adopt  European  dress; 
this  not  because  it  is  better  than  their  own,  but  as  a  mark 
of  advancement  in  civilization.  The  court  at  Tokio  has 
adopted  the  Paris  st\les,  and  it  has  made  some  progress  in 
the  open  ports.  But  the  public  appeal,  signed  by  Mrs. 
Cleveland,  Mrs.  Garfield  and  scores  of  other  prominent 
women  of  America,  to  the  ladies  of  Japan,  in  which  the)' 
hope  that  they  are  "  too  patriotic  to  endanger  the  health  of 
a  nation,  and  to  abandon  what  is  beautiful  and  suitable  in 
their  national  costume,  and  to  waste  money  on  foreign 
fashions,"  is  having  its  influence,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  for 
the  sake  of  the  health  and  prosperit}'  of  Japan  that  she  will 
cling  to  her  own  style  of  dress. 

In  Kyoto  the  jinrikisha  is  the  onh'  means  of  public  con- 
veyance. The  Japanese  vehicle  does  not  differ  materially 
from  those  used  in  Ceylon  and  the  Straits  Settlements  on 
the  peninsula  of  Malacca,  already  described  at  some  length, 
the  only  noticeable  difference  being  that  in  Japan  many  of 
the  jinrikishas  are  wide  enough  to  seat  two  people.  The 
Japanese  are  a  small  race  and  two  of  them  are  drawn  about 
with  apparent  ease.  Usually,  however,  when  two  persons 
ride  two  men  furnish  the  motive  power,  one  to  push  and  the 


54l5  GIKULING    THE    GLOBE. 

other  to  pull.  In  the  courtyard  in  front  of  our  hotel  a 
score  of  'rikisha  men  with  their  miniature  buggies  were  sta- 
tioned waiting  for  passengers.  After  one  has  had  time  to 
overcome  the  feeling  that  it  is  not  right  to  be  drawn  about 
the  streets  by  men,  it  comes  to  be  a  pleasant  and  enjoyable 
method  of  seeing  a  large  city.  Your  view  is  wholly  unob- 
structed, and  }'Ou  can  thread  narrow  streets  where  a  larger 
vehicle  could  not  go.  Then  there  is  no  occasion  to  hurry. 
You  can  have  your  'rikisha  man  walk  along  slowly  when 
places  of  interest  are  in  sight,  and  )ou  can  make  observa- 
tions and  take  notes,  as  it  were  on  the  wing.  The  men  are 
careful  and  faithful. 

In  May,  1891,  the  present  Czar  of  Russia  with  his  cous- 
in, Prince  George  of  Greece,  was  traveling  in  Japan. 
While  riding  through  the  streets  the  Czar  was  attacked  by 
an  assassin  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  timely  aid  rendered 
by  his  cousin  and  the  two  jinrikisha  men,  Mukobata  and 
Kitaga,  he  would  have  been  murdered.  The  two  men  are 
the  heroes  of  the  jinrikisha  world.  Honors  and  rewards 
were  showered  on  them  alike  by  the  Czar  and  the  Emperor 
of  Japan. 

Kyoto,  having  been  for  many  years  the  royal  residence, 
abounds  in  temples  great  and  small,  with  many  images  of 
the  gods  of  Japan.  To  describe  them  in  detail  would  be  to 
write  volumes.  I  shall  attempt  only  a  very  brief  descrip- 
tion of  several  of  the  most  important  which  we  visited. 

A  delightful  ride  through  the  city  brought  us  to  the 
San-ju-san-gendo,  the  temple  of  Kwannon,  the  goddess  of 
mercy.  It  is  also  called  the  temple  of  33,333  images. 
There  are  actually  1,001  images  of  the  goddess  set  up  in  the 
place.  The  goddess  is  reputed  to  have  a  thousand  hands, 
and  an  image  for  each  hand  with  one  thrown  in  for  good 
measure  was  required  to  satisfy  the  image-loving  Emperor 


o 

H 

O 


o 
o 


o 
o 
o 


TEMPLE    OF   SAN-TU.  551 

Kameyama,  who  rebuilt  the  temple  and  set  up  the  images 
in  1266  A.  D.  The  building  is  389  feet  in  length  and  57 
feet  wide.  With  exception  of  a  narrow  walk  at  one  side, 
the  entire  building  is  occupied  by  the  images.  They  are 
carved  out  of  wood,  each  five  feet  in  height  and  stand  on 
pedestals  placed  in  tiers  along  the  side  of  the  building. 
Our  photogravure  shows  one-half  of  the  building.  A  large 
seated  image  will  be  noticed  in  the  foreground.  This  is 
placed  in  the  center  of  the  building,  so  that  we  have  in  view 
only  half  of  the  images.  The  number  33,333  is  obtained  by 
including  in  the  computation  the  smaller  images  on  the 
foreheads,  the  halos  and  the  hands  of  the  larger  ones.  The 
images  are  gilded  with  gold  and  present  an  impressive  ap- 
pearance. Passing  slowly  along  the  temple  aisle  we  noticed 
several  pedestals  without  images.  This  was  explained  later 
when  we  entered  the  workshop  at  the  rear  of  the  building, 
where  several  men  were  kept  constantly  at  work  repairing 
and  restoring  the  gods. 

An  idea  of  the  traditions  connected  wnth  Japanese  wor- 
ship and  of  the  superstitious  belief  of  the  ignorant  among  the 
people,  is  given  in  the  following,  which  is  connected  with 
the  temple  of  San-Tu.  The  Emperor  Go-Shivakawa,  being 
troubled  with  severe  headaches  which  all  the  usual  rem- 
edies failed  to  relieve,  made  a  pilgrimage  to  the  temple  of 
the  goddess  of  mercy  to  pray  for  relief.  He  was  directed 
by  the  gods  to  apply  to  a  celebrated  Indian  physician  then 
resident  at  a  temple  in  the  capital.  He  at  once  proceeded 
thither,  when  a  monk  appeared  and  informed  him  that  in  a 
previous  state  of  existence  his  majesty  had  been  a  pious 
monk  who  for  his  merits  had  been  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
mikado  in  this  present  life;  but  that  his  former  skull  was  ly- 
ing in  the  bottom  of  a  river  undissolved,  and  that  out  of  it 
grew  a  willow  tree  which  shook  every  time  the  wind  blew. 


552  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

causing  his  majesty's  head  to  ache.  On  arrivini:^  the  em- 
peror instituted  a  search  for  the  skull,  and  having  found  it 
had  it  enclosed  in  the  head  of  the  large  image  in  this  tem- 
ple, whereupon  he  was  cured  of  his  headache. 

The  followers  of  Buddha  in  Japan  delight  in  making 
colossal  images  of  their  god.  Near  the  temple  of  Kwannon 
is  the  celebrated  wooden  image  of  Buddha,  called  the  Dai- 
butsu.  It  consists  of  only  the  head  and  shoulders  of  the 
god,  without  the  body.  Such  are  its  dimensions,  however, 
that  it  reaches  to  the  ceiling  of  the  lofty  hall  in  which  it  is 
kept.  The  height  of  the  image  is  fifty-eight  feet,  and  the 
breadth  of  the  shoulders  forty-three  feet,  the  face  being 
thirty  feet  in  length.  The  head  and  face  are  gilded  with 
gold  and  the  image  presents  an  imposing  appearance.  At 
Kamakara  we  saw  another  great  image  of  the  Buddha,  a 
picture  of  which  is  given  on  page  553.  It  is  said  to  be  one 
of  the  finest  examples  of  Japanese  sculpture.  The  image  is 
forty-nine  feet  in  height  and  ninety-seven  feet  in  circumfer-. 
ence.  Notice  the  two  Japanese  standing  at  the  base  of  the 
image,  showing  by  comparison  its  great  size.  "The  eyes  of 
the  image  are  of  pure  gold  and  the  silver  boss,  the  projec- 
tion on  the  forehead,  weighs  thirty  pounds.  The  image  is 
formed  of  sheets  of  bronze  cast  separately,  brazed  together, 
and  finished  off  on  the  outside  with  the  chisel.  The  hollow 
interior  of  the  figure  contains  a  small  shrine,  and  by  means 
of  a  winding  stairway  one  may  ascend  into  the  head." 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  head  of  the  Daibutsu  is  cov- 
ered with  small,  round  protuberances.  The}-  are  made  to 
represent  snails.  It  is  said  that  when  Buddha  sat  so  long 
beneath  the  bo  tree  in  India,  the  afternoon  tropical  sun  beat 
down  on  his  head.  The  snails,  the  story  says,  taking  pity 
on  the  sufferer,  crawled  to  the  top  of  his  head  and  arranged 


Buddha    Dairutsu. 


Greatest  need  of  japan.  555 

themselves  so  as  to  form  a  complete  covering  for  the  god, 
thus  protecting  his  head  from  the  rays  of  the  sun. 

Another  temple,  among  the  number  visited  in  Kyoto, 
worthy  of  brief  mention,  is  the  new  Buddhist  building 
known  as  Higashi  Honwanji.  It  has  just  been  completed 
and  occupies  the  site  of  a  similar  structure  destroyed  by  fire 
in  1864,  and  is  the  largest  temple  of  its  kind  in  Japan.  The 
building  is  imposing  in  appearance  and  abounds  in  fine 
carvings  and  exquisite  woodwork.  The  interior  is  beauti- 
fully finished  in  highly-polished  native  wood,  and  the  skill 
of  the  joiner  is  to  be  seen  on  ever}'  hand,  for  Japan  has 
some  of  the  most  skillful  carvers  and  woodworkers  in  the 
world. 

After  making  the  rounds  of  the  temples  at  Kyoto  I  was 
deeply  impressed  with  the  thought  that  the  greatest  need  of 
Japan  to-day  is  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  These  kindly 
disposed,  gentle  people,  with  unlimited  power  of  imitation 
and  a  strong  and  earnest  desire  for  progress,  ought  to  be 
rescued  from  their  idolatry  and  their  hearts  turned  to  the 
w^orship  of  the  true  and  living  God.  The  possibilities  of  the 
progress  of  these  people,  in  civilization  founded  on  the  relig- 
ion of  Christ,  are  beyond  computation.  They  are  now  handi- 
capped and  hindered  by  their  idolatrous  worship  and  ob- 
servances. Replace  the  temple  of  Buddha  and  Shinto  with 
churches  of  God,  where  the  principles  of  primitive  Christi- 
anit)'  are  taught  and  practiced,  give  the  people  the  pure  and 
undefiled  religion  of  Jesus,  and  in  half  a  centur}'  no  nation 
in  the  world  will  stand  ahead  of  Japan  in  civilization. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


A  Buddhist  Temple  —  A  Crowd  of  Worshipers  —  Selling  Prayers  — 
Plaslering  an  Idol —  The  Liberality  of  the  Idol  Worshipers  — 
Ringing  a  Bell  to  Azua/cen  the  God — The  Food  of  the  Gods  —  The 
fapanese  Kago  —  Purchasing  a  Kimono  —  fapanese  Children  — 
From  Kyoto  to  Yokohatna —  The  fapanese  Pipes — Letters  from 
Home  ^Nikko  the  City  of  Temples— The  Einperor  s  Bridge  — 
General  Grant's  Modesty  — A  fapanese  Hotel- Eating  Under 
Difficulties—  The  Sacred  White  Horse —Bean  Selling— Tokio- 
"Oh,  How  I  Wish  I  Could  Feel  an  Earthquake f"  —  Our Experi- 
ence With  Earthquakes —Destruction  Wrought  by  the  Quaking 
Earth  —  Earthquake  Houses—  The  Kingdom  of  Christ  Shall  Not 
Be  Shaken. 

The  temple  worship,  if  the  exercises  witnessed  by  us  in 
the  principal  temples  of  Kyoto  can  be  dignified  by  the 
name  of  worship,  has  its  interesting  side  to  the  stranger 
who  sees  it  all  for  the  first  time.  The  accompanying 
reproduction  of  a  Buddhist  temple,  from  a  Japanese  print, 
may  be  examined  before  entering  the  enclosure  with  its 
many  buildings.  The  numbers  correspond  with  the  follow- 
ing description: 

1.  The  two-storied  gateway,  at  the  entrance  to  the 
temple  grounds.  This  building  is  usuall)-  elaborately 
carved  and  is  approached  by  a  stairway. 

2.  A  smaller  hall  called  Gaku-do. 

3.  The  belfry  where  hangs  the  temple  bell,  which  is 
sounded  by  means  of  a  heavy  piece  of  timber  swung  back 
and  forth  as  a  battering  ram. 

4.  5.     The  main  temple  and  the  founder's  hall. 

(556) 


TEMPLE    GROUNDS.  557 

6,  7.  A  reliquary  containing  sacred  relics,  and  the  re- 
volving library  where  a  complete  copy  of  the  Buddhist 
canon  is  kept. 

8,  9.     The  priests'  apartments  and  the  reception  room. 

10.  The  treasure  house  where  the  money  is  kept. 

11.  The  kitchen  connected  by  a  gallery  with  the 
priests'  quarters. 

12.  The  cistern  or  tank  where  the  hands  are  washed 
before  entering  the  temple  to  worship. 

13.  The  drum  tower. 

14.  The  Pagoda. 

15.  Stone  lanterns. 

The  day  we  visited  Higashi  Hongwanji  a  festival  of 
some  kind  was  in  progress  and  the  new"  temple  and  grounds 
were  crowded  with  Japanese  of  every  age  and  rank.  It  was 
a  good-natured,  smiling  crowd;  everybod}'  seemed  to  be  en- 
joying himself.  Entering  the  gateway,  the  tank  or  cistern 
was  first  approached,  where  the  necessary  washing  was 
made  before  entering  the  temple.  Several  towels  hanging 
by  the  side  of  the  tank  were  used  for  drying  the  hands. 
Once  they  may  have  been  white,  but  now  they  were  black 
and  grimy  from  numerous  wipings.  Ascending  the  broad 
stairway  leading  to  the  great  hall  or  audience  room  of 
the  temple,  the  shoes  are  removed  and  placed  in  rows  in 
front  of  the  entrance,  for  no  Japanese  will  enter  his  house 
or  his  temple  with  his  street  shoes  on  his  feet.  As  a  result 
the  floors  are  kept  scrupulously  clean.  And  what  an  array 
of  Japanese  foot  gear  decorated  the  entrance  to  the  temple. 
There  were  thousands  of  shoes  of  all  sizes  to  be  seen.  The 
wonder  to  me  was  how  each  was  to  know  his  own  when 
he  came  out  of  the  temi)le.  Following  the  crowd,  we  ap- 
proached the  entrance,  and  were  met  b\-  a  polite  official 
who  handed  each  of  us  a  pair  of  felt  socks  large  enough  to 


ASSEMBLY   WORSHIPING    BEFORE    AN    IDOL.  559 

slip  over  our  boots.  Thus  shod  we  were  permitted  to  enter 
the  temple  and  wander  about  at  our  own  sweet  will.  Pass- 
ing into  the  enclosure,  a  strange  sight  met  our  eyes.  A  vast 
throng  of  worshipers  were  squatted  on  the  floor.  The  room 
was  without  a  bench  or  chair.  The  people  were  crowded 
close  together,  forming  a  semicircle  around  the  golden 
image  of  the  god,  which  occupied  a  place  in  the  center  of 
one  side  of  the  hall.  A  railing  three  feet  high  kept  the 
crowd  from  approaching  too  near  the  image.  Onh'  the 
priests  were  permitted  to  enter  the  inner  enclosure. 

I  at  once  became  an  interested  spectator  of  the  strange 
scene  around  me.  It  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  witnessed 
a  whole  assembly  of  people  worshiping  before  an  idol.  In 
India  I  had  seen  the  individual  worship  before  the  image  of 
his  god,  but  here  were  thousands  sitting  on  the  floor  with 
bowed  heads  and  lips  moving  in  silent  pra\er.  The  crowd 
was  constantly  changing.  After  remaining  seated  a  few 
minutes  the  devotees  would  rise  and  go  out,  others  coming 
and  taking  their  places.  Before  leaving,  however,  a  written 
prayer  was  usually  purchased  from  the  priests,  who  have  a 
monopoly  of  selling  prayers.  I  am  told  they  do  a  thriving 
business.  They  furnish  on  demand  an)-  kind  of  prayer 
wanted.  The  kind  most  generally  purchased  are  for  the  re- 
cover)' of  sick  friends,  or  for  those  who  have  a  journey  to 
make  by  land  or  by  sea. 

At  some  places,  I  was  told,  it  is  the  custom  after  the 
prayer  has  been  purchased,  to  place  in  the  mouth  the  paper 
on  which  it  has  been  written.  It  is  then  chewed  until  re- 
duced to  pulp,  when  it  is  formed  into  a  ball.  The  worship- 
er then  throws  it  with  all  his  strength  against  one  of  the 
numerous  images  of  the  gods,  usually  the  one  at  the  gate- 
way. If  the  paper  wad  sticks  fast  to  the  idol,  it  is  believed 
the  prayer  will   be  answered,  and  the   devotee  goes  away 


560  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

satisfied.  If  this  result  is  not  obtained,  another  pra)er  must 
be  purchased  and  another  attempt  made  to  secure  the  favor 
of  the  god  by  making  a  wad  of  pulp  stick  fast  to  his  image. 
Seeing  these  kindly  disposed  people  engaged  in  the  wor- 
ship of  their  false  gods  is  a  sad  sight,  and  how  one  wishes 
that  the}-  might  be  rescued  from  their  idolatry  and  all  its 
consequences  and  brought  to  worship  the  true  and  living 
God. 

After  spending  some  time  among  the  worshipers  in  the 
main  hall  of  the  temple  we  visited  other  parts  of  the  build- 
ing and  were  compelled  to  admire  the  fine  workmanship  and 
the  skill  of  the  wood  carvers  which  was  to  be  seen  in  ever\' 
part  of  the  structure.  Finer  or  more  skillful  work  has  nev- 
er come  under  m\-  notice.  Returning  again  to  the  hall,  we 
found  that  the  worshipers  had  all  departed.  The  floor  of 
the  temple  where  they  had  been  sitting  was  literally  cov- 
ered with  small  pieces  of  money,  known  as  cash  or  ri)is. 
The  priests  were  engaged  in  sweeping  the  bits  of  metal  to- 
gether and  gathering  them  up  with  shovels  and  depositing 
the  money  in  the  temple  treasur}-.  The  value  of  the  brass 
rin  is  about  one  mill  of  our  money.  It  was  a  novel  method 
of  taking  up  a  collection,  and  it  showed  that  the  Japanese 
were  willing  to  pay  something  for  their  false  religion.  The 
amount  given  by  each  individual  was  small,  but  all  gave 
and  I  was  informed  by  our  guide  that  some  of  the  wealthy 
people  dropped  into  the  treasury  as  much  as  from  fifty  to 
one  hundred  dollars. 

At  another  temple  the  giving  was  conducted  on  a  dif- 
ferent plan.  A  box  was  arranged  before  the  idol,  into 
which  the  contributions  were  cast.  Those  who  gave  took 
the  precaution  to  ring  a  bell  first  to  waken  up  the  god,  so 
that  their  liberality  might  not  pass  unnoticed.  After  throw- 
ing in  the  gift  a  prayer  was  offered  and  the  worshiper  went 


THE    KAGO.  561 

his  wa}-.  The  ringing  of  the  bell  shows  that  the  people  be- 
lieve that  their  god  sleeps.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
Elijah  the  prophet  told  the  priests  of  Baal  on  Mt.  Carmel  to 
cry  louder,  perhaps  their  god  was  asleep  or  had  gone  on  a 
long  journey.  So  the  Japanese  ring  a  bell  to  arous.e  their 
drowsy  gods. 

In  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  Higashi  Hongwanji,  visitors 
are  permitted  to  purchase  small  quantities  of  the  sacred 
food,  "  the  food  of  the  gods,"  the  guide  said,  which  is  highly 
prized  by  the  Japanese.  Prayers  are  also  sold,  mounted  on 
heav}'  paper  for  preservation.  I  brought  away  with  me,  as 
relics,  several  of  the  prayers  with  a  small  quantity  of  pre- 
pared rice  and  several  pieces  of  the  bread  used  in  the  tem- 
ple. Of  course  it  is  well  understood  by  the  people  that  the 
food  furnished  for  the  gods  is  appropriated  and  used  by  the 
priests  who  serve  the  people  in  the  temple.  As  more  is 
furnished  than  they  can  consume  it  is  sold  and  becomes  a 
source  of  revenue.  Some  people  are  willing  to  pay  a  high 
price  for  a  small  piece  of  the  so-called  sacred  bread. 

The  da}'  spent  among  the  temples  was  followed  by  a 
quiet,  pleasant  evening  at  the  hotel.  The  weather  had 
turned  suddenly  cooler  and  a  bright  fire  in  the  chimney 
grate  added  warmth  and  cheerfulness  to  our  rooms.  During 
the  evening  several  merchants  called  upon  us  and  invited  us 
to  visit  their  places  of  business,  or  if  we  preferred  they 
would  bring  goods  to  the  hotel  for  our  inspection.  The 
tradesmen  are  polite  and  very  attentive  to  customers,  but 
their  prices  are  subject  to  violent  fluctuations. 

We  have  seen  the  sedan  chair  in  use  in  Malacca  and 
China,  but  Japan  has  still  another  means  of  transit,  known 
as  the  kago.  It  is  used  by  the  natives,  and  Americans  who 
can  endure  the  torture,  in  traveling  long  distances  in  out-of- 
the-way  places.     A   better   idea  of  the  construction   of  the 


562  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

kago  and  the  method  of  carryini^  it  on  the  shoulders  nia\'  be 
obtained  from  the  photogravure  on  page  563  than  from  any 
description  that  might  be  \\ritten.  As  will  be  seen  the  kago 
is  very  simple  in  construction.  Bamboo  poles  are  used  and 
the  close  observer  will  notice  a  look  of  content  and  comfort 
on  the  face  of  the  little  Japanese  lady  seated  in  her  kago. 
On  top  of  the  chair,  as  with  the  old-fashioned  stage  coach, 
is  arranged  a  place  for  baggage.  The  cloth  traveling  bag 
and  the  umbrella  of  the  occupant  of  the  kago  are  fastened 
on  top,  while  her  street  shoes  or  clogs  hang  at  one  side. 
Upon  lighting  from  her  seat  she  slips  the  clogs  on  her  feet 
and  is  ready  to  proceed  on  foot.  The  men  who  carry  the 
traveler  are  shod  with  rice  straw  sandals  fastened  about  the 
foot  with  a  thin  rope  made  of  the  same  material.  A  pair  of 
sandals  of  this  kind,  all  complete,  costs  less  than  one  cent, 
and  protects  the  soles  of  the  feet  of  the  carriers.  As  a 
matter  of  economy  the  sandals  are  taken  off  and  carried 
where  the  roads  are  smooth.  The  posture  assumed  while 
sitting  in  the  kago  is  comfortable  enough  for  the  natives, 
who  are  used  to  sitting  on  their  feet,  but  it  is  attended  with 
great  discomfort  to  those  who,  like  Americans,  are  not  used 
to  doubling  up  their  lower  limbs  and  sitting  upon  them.  In 
a  very  short  time  the  limbs  become  so  benumbed  that  when 
an  effort  is  made  to  stand  they  refuse  to  bear  the  weight  of 
their  owner.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  lady's  head 
touches  the  top  of  the  chair.  As  Americans  are  taller  than 
the  Japanese  the  head  must  be  thrown  back,  adding  still 
further  to  the  discomfort  of  the  traveler.  As  an  instrument 
of  torture  for  foreigners  the  kago  may  be  voted  a  success. 
When  it  is  stated  that  in  some  isolated  places  this  is  the 
only  means  of  traveling,  unless  walking  is  preferred— and 
we  always  preferred  to  walk— the  difficulty  of  reaching  out- 
of-the-way  places  will  be  apparent. 


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CHEERFULNESS,    KINDLINESS.  565 

As  before  intimated,  the  Japanese  are  kindly  disposed 
and  take  great  interest  in  the  strangers  who  come  among 
them.  In  the  interior  the  foreigner  with  his  peculiar  dress 
is  a  great  curiosity  to  the  natives,  and  wherever  he  goes  is 
sure  to  attract  more  or  less  attention.  At  Kyoto  we  made 
a  few  purchases,  and  we  no  sooner  stopped  in  front  of  the 
door  of  a  shop  than  we  were  the  center  of  a  good-natured 
crowd.  At  one  of  the  shops  I  made  an  effort  to  buy  a  kim- 
ono— the  outer  garment  worn  by  men.  I  had  some  diffi- 
culty in  making  the  merchant  understand  that  I  must  have 
the  largest  sized  garment  he  had  in  stock.  He  finalh'  pro- 
duced one  that  he  thought  large  enough  for  me.  By  this 
time  a  large  crowd  had  collected,  and  when  I  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  into  the  cloak  and  found  that  it  lacked 
nearly  a  foot  of  coming  together  in  front  the  crowd  seemed 
to  enjoy  the  situation  and  indulged  in  a  hearty  laugh.  I 
afterwards  had  my  measure  taken  and  a  kimono  cut  and 
made  to  order  to  take  home  with  me. 

The  truth  of  the  old  adage,  "  The  boy  is  father  to  the 
man,"  is  nowhere  more  clearly  shown  than  in  Japan.  Good 
nature,  cheerfulness,  kindliness  of  disposition,  is  the  rule 
among  the  children  of  the  flowery  kingdom.  I  have  seen 
them  at  play  man}-  times,  and  they  enter  into  it  with  a  hap- 
py, joN'Ous  abandon  that  is  most  pleasant  to  look  upon. 
They  are  peaceful  and  happy  and  are  full  of  enjoyment.  I 
am  told  that  a  fight  among  Japanese  children  is  of  very  rare 
occurrence.  In  this  they  are  in  advance  of  some  of  the 
Christian  nations. 

As  soon  as  a  child  is  old  enough  to  bear  the  burden,  a 
younger  brother  or  sister  is  given  into  its  care,  and  the  two 
become  inseparable  companions.  The  little  one  is  securel}- 
strapped  to  the  back  of  its  guardian  and  seems  to  take 
kindly  to  its  rather  peculiar  situation.     If  the  bo}'  is  sent  on 


566  GIKDI.INC     IIII'.    (il.OliE. 

an  errand  the  baby  goes  with  liini.  lie  becomes  a  l<incl  of 
traveling  Kindergarten.  It  is  not  unusual  to  see  a  number 
of  children  at  play,  each  with  a  baby  brother  or  sister 
strapped  on  the  back.  The  little  ones  apparently  enjoy  the 
sport  and  the  situation.  When  they  grow  weary  they  tal<e 
a  nap  with  the  head  thrown  back  or  pressed  against  the 
shoulders  of  their  carriers,  and  sleep  as  soundly  as  if  rocked 
in  a  cradle  on  pillows  of  softest  down.  One  of  the  evils  re- 
sulting from  this  custom  is  that  the  sun  beats  down  on  the- 
upturned  face  of  the  child  and  the  eyes  are  often  injured. 

At  Kamakara.  near  Yokohama,  I  saw  a  group  of  chil- 
dren engaged  in  kite  fl)'ing,  a  national  pastime  for  both 
children  and  grown  people.  A  bo)-  of  twelve  years,  with 
his  baby  brother  of  as  man}^  months  strapped  to  his  back, 
was  enjoN'ing  the  national  sport.  His  kite  was  soaring 
gracefully  far  up  in  the  air,  and  both  boy  and  baby  were 
happy.  By  some  means  the  kite  string  slipped  from  his 
hand  and  was  dragged  along  the  ground.  The  little  fellow 
ran  after  the  string  as  fast  as  his  legs  would  carry  him,  grab- 
bing for  it  as  he  ran.  Finally  he  stumbled  and  fell  flat  to 
the  ground,  but  with  outstretched  hand  captured  the  fugi- 
tive kite  string  as  he  fell.  I  expected  to  hear  the  baby 
brother  cry  out,  but  he  remained  perfectly  quiet  and  ap- 
peared to  take  the  fall  of  his  keeper  as  one  of  the  ordinary 
"  downs  "  in  life. 

On  the  twentieth  of  March  we  bade  farewell  to  the  an- 
cient capital  of  Japan,  with  its  temples  and  idols  and  in- 
tensely interesting  people,  and  went  to  Yokohama,  from 
where  six  weeks  later  we  were  to  sail  for  the  Golden  Gate 
and  the  home  land.  The  journey  b)-  rail  took  eighteen 
hours,  and  first-class  tickets  cost  nine  yen  and  forty-three 
sen  each,  about  five  dollars  in  our  money.  The  only  un- 
pleasant thing  about  the  journey  was  the  smoke.     In  Japan 


Japanese    Boys    Carrying    Babies. 


YOKOHAMA.  569 

men  and  women  stand  on  a  perfect  equality  in  one  thing,  if 
in  nothing  else.  They  all  smoke  the  pipe.  And  why  not? 
Is  a  man  so  much  better  than  a  woman  that  he  should  enjoy 
a  privilege  and  deny  her  equal  liberty?  The  pipe  is  a  tiny 
bit  of  thing — a  kind  of  toy  pipe — and  holds  but  a  pinch  of 
yellow  tobacco,  just  enough  for  three  whiffs  of  smoke.  The 
pipe  is  filled  and  lighted,  the  three  whiffs  taken,  and  then 
the  smoker  rests  a  minute  or  two,  and  the  pipe  is  filled 
again.  This  is  repeated  until  the  smoker's  desire  is  grati- 
fied. All  Japanese  ladies  and  gentlemen  carry  in  their 
belt  a  well-filled  tobacco  pouch  with  pipe  case  attached,  and 
are  always  ready  for  a  smoke.  A  half  dozen  smokers  in  our 
coach  kept  the  air  blue  with  the  smoke  of  burning  tobacco 
for  the  greater  part  of  the  night,  and  we  rejoiced  when  the 
train  rolled  into  the  depot  at  Yokohama,  that  we  could  es- 
cape from  the  fumes  of  tobacco  and  breathe  heaven's  fresh, 
pure  air  again. 

We  found  a  pleasant  home  in  Yokohama  at  Miss  Brit- 
tain's  private  boarding  house  at  the  rate  of  five  dollars  per 
week.  It  is  on  the  bluff  commanding  a  fine  view  of  city 
and  harbor,  and  we  enjo}'ed  our  stay  very  much,  with  the 
exception  of  an  occasional  earthquake;  but  more  about 
earthquakes  later.  We  had  received  no  mail  since  leaving 
India,  and  upon  going  to  the  post  of^ce  found  eighty  letters 
and  a  score  or  more  papers  awaiting  our  arrival.  Several 
days  were  spent  in  reading  letters  and  papers,  and  we  re- 
joiced that  onl}'  good  news  came  to  us;  but  w  ith  this  in  our 
favor  the  heart  would  yearn  for  the  dear  old  home  land. 

To  write  of  all  we  saw  of  interest  in  Japan  would  be  to 
add  another  volume  to  this.  This  is  out  of  the  question, 
and  I  must  therefore  content  myself  with  brief  mention  of 
what  impressed  me  most.  As  at  other  places  so  here  the 
great  wealth  of  interesting  things  to  write  about  leaves  one 


5/0  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

ill  il()vil:)t,  not  as  to  what  shall  be  said  but  as  to  what  shall  be 
left  unsaid. 

From  Yokohama  we  made  a  number  of  excursions  to 
various  places  of  more  than  ordinary  interest.  Among 
these  were  Tokio,  the  present  capital  of  the  country,  and 
Nikko,  the  city  of  temples,  the  most  sacred  place  in  all 
Japan.  The  Mohammedans  have  their  Mecca,  the  Hindus 
their  Benares,  the  Buddhists  their  Kandy,  and  the  Japanese 
their  Nikko.  The  Japanese  holy  place  is  more  than  any  of 
the  others.  Lying  as  it  does  some  two  thousand  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea  in  a  mountainous  region  it  is,  in  addition 
to  its  temples  and  shrines,  a  delightful  summer  resort.  No 
other  place  in  Japan  can  show  so  many  of  the  beauties  of 
nature.  Within  a  radius  of  a  few  miles  of  Nikko  there  are 
no  less  than  twenty-five  beautifid  waterfalls  and  cascades. 
It  is  said  that  in  autumn  the  tints  of  the  foliage  are  the  most 
beautiful  in  the  world. 

To  write  of  the  temples  of  Nikko  and  the  beautiful 
pagodas  would  be  a  repetition  of  what  has  been  written 
about  the  temples  of  Kyoto.  Annually  the  Emperor  of 
Japan  goes  to  Nikko  to  worship.  In  order  to  reach  the 
temples  a  stream  of  water  must  be  crossed.  Over  the 
stream  two  bridges  have  been  built,  one  for  ordinary  mor- 
tals and  the  other  for  the  emperor  and  his  suite.  The  lat- 
ter is  called  the  red  bridge,  from  its  bright  red  color,  which 
forms  a  striking  contrast  to  the  rushing  water  below  and 
the  deep  green  of  the  rich  shrubbery  on  the  banks  of  the 
stream.  It  is  eighty-four  feet  long  and  eighteen  wide  and 
was  built  in  1638.  .At  each  end  are  gates  which  are  kept 
constantly  closed  except  when  the  emperor  crosses. 

In  connection  with  the  red  bridge  an  incident  is  related 
which  shows  the  tact  and  the  natural  modesty  of  America's 
great  soldier  statesman,   General   Grant.     When  he  visited 


NATIVE    JAPANESE    HOTEL.  571 

Nikko  in  his  journey  around  the  world,  the  Emperor  of 
Japan,  desiring  to  show  his  distinguished  and  illustrious 
guest  every  possible  honor,  ordered  the  sacred  bridge  to  be 
opened  and  the  General  to  be  invited  to  cross  over  on  the 
Mikado's  sacred  way.  Upon  reaching  the  river  and  seeing 
v.'hat  had  been  done  and  receiving  the  invitation  General 
Grant  said,  "The  Emperor's  feet  alone  must  tread  upon  the 
sacred  bridge."  Saying  this  he  walked  across  the  lower 
bridge  and  won  golden  opinions  from  the  Japanese  for  the 
respect  thus  shown  to  their  ruler.  General  Grant  had  all 
the  elements  of  true  greatness  in  his  character,  and  not  the 
least  of  these  was  his  native  modesty.  The  show  and  dis- 
play of  position  so  gratifying  to  weak-minded  men  was  en- 
tirely distasteful  to  him.  He  was  a  great  man,  apparently 
entirely  unconscious  of  his  greatness. 

At  Nikko  I  had  my  first  experience  in  a  native  Japanese 
hotel.  I  was  shown  a  room  scrupulously  clean  with  soft 
matting  on  the  floor,  and  thick,  quilted  comforters  which 
served  as  a  bed.  There  was  not  a  single  piece  of  furniture 
in  the  room.  The  partitions  were  made  of  paper  on  sliding 
frames  and  the  room  could  easil\-  be  enlarged  by  sliding  the 
partitions  together.  When  the  hour  for  the  noonday  meal 
came  the  sliding  door  of  m\'  room  was  pushed  back  and  a 
servant  appeared  with  what  seemed  to  be  a  small  box  a  foot 
high  and  eighteen  inches  square.  It  proved  to  be  a  table. 
In  order  to  get  down  to  it  I  was  compelled  to  squat  after 
the  fashion  of  the  Japanese.  The  servant  came  with  a  lac- 
quered tray  on  which  was  a  small  bowl  of  soup  and  a  small 
piece  of  fish.  Drinking  the  soup  out  of  the  bowl — spoons 
with  knives  and  forks  are  unknown  in  the  native  house — I 
tried  the  experiment  of  eating  the  fish  with  chop  sticks,  two 
sticks  about  the  length  and  thickness  of  a  common  lead 
pencil.     It  is  not  an  easy  task  at  first,  but  one  soon  acquires 


5/2  r.lKDIINC     I'lIK    (JLOIJR. 

the  use  of  the  Oriental  knife  and  fork.  After  the  soup  and 
fish  came  a  number  of  peculiar  dishes.  A  taste  of  each 
fully  satisfied  my  curiosit)'.  A  wooden  box  filled  with  rice 
well  cooked  and  steamiuf;:;-  hot  supplied  the  main  part  of  the 
meal.  I  had  at  last  reached  safe  irround,  and  ate  heartil}- 
of  the  rice.  It  was  served  in  a  small  china  bowl  and  con- 
veyed to  the  mouth  with  the  chop  sticks.  The  servants 
sat  by  ready  to  fill  the  bowl  as  fast  as  it  was  emptied. 
After  the  rice  came  a  cup  of  tea  and  then  water  to  wash  the 
hands,  and  the  servant,  table  and  all  disappeared,  and  I  was 
left  to  lie  down  on  the  mattress  and  enjoy  an  afternoon  nap. 

The  dinner  was  good,  but  the  agony  of  squatting  on  the 
floor  an  hour  made  the  eating  a  punishment  rather  than  a 
pleasure.  I  tried  a  number  of  positions  but  found  none 
satisfactory,  and  am  ready  to  say  I  do  not  consider  the  na- 
tive Japanese  hotel  a  success. 

At  one  of  the  temples  at  Nikko  a  peculiar  custom  is 
kept  up.  A  beautiful  white  horse  is  kept  for  the  special  use 
of  the  god  leyasu.  The  horse  is  sleek  and  fat,  and  as  the 
god  never  uses  him  he  has  an  easy  time  of  it.  Every  visitor 
is  required  to  purchase  from  the  attendant  priest  a  small 
measure  of  beans  for  the  support  of  the  animal.  As  there 
are  man\^  visitors  the  priest  does  a  thriving  business.  The 
horse  eats  but  a  small  portion  of  the  beans  purchased  for 
him,  and  they  are  sold  over  again  and  again.  During  the 
summer  season  the  priest  sells  enjugh  beans  to  feed  a  troop 
of  horses.  The  element  of  deception  associated  w^ith  re- 
ligion is  practiced  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  In  our  own 
country  it  flourishes  in  som"  of  the  churches  in  the  half 
disguised  gambling  and  lottery  schemes  introduced  in  the 
church  festival  in  the  shape  of  grab  bags  and  kindred  de- 
vices.    Here  it  is  openly  conducted  in  selling  food  for  the 


'6 
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TEMPLE    OF    KWANNON.  575 

sacred  white  horse  which  he  never  eats.  Of  the  two  the 
Japanese  method  is  the  less  objectionable. 

Tokio  was  our  home  a  portion  of  the  time  we  spent  in 
Japan.  It  is  at  the  present  time  the  seat  of  government 
and  contains  the  imperial  residence.  In  round  numbers  the 
population  may  be  set  down  at  a  million  and  a  half.  The 
city  is  to  some  extent  Europeanized,  and  hence  is  not  so  in- 
teresting as  the  old  capital  Kyoto.  It  boasts  a  street  rail- 
way, but  the  people  do  not  patronize  it  to  an)'  great  extent. 
There  are  thirt\'-eight  thousand  jinrikishas  in  Tokio,  and 
these  furnish  the  principal  means  of  transit.  There  are 
temples  and  temples  and  idols  by  the  hundred,  but  we  have 
seen  enough  of  these.  I  am,  however,  tempted  to  quote 
from  a  description  of  the  temple  of  Kwannon,  the  goddess  of 
Mercy:  "  On  no  account  could  a  visit  to  this  popular  tem- 
ple be  omitted;  for  it  is  the  greatest  holiday  resort  of  the 
middle  and  lower  classes,  and  nothing  is  more  striking  than 
the  juxtaposition  of  piety  and  pleasure,  of  gorgeous  altars 
and  grotesque  ex-votaries,  of  pretty  costumes  and  dingy 
idols,  the  clatter  of  the  clogs,  cocks  and  hens  and  pigeons 
strutting  about  among  the  worshipers,  children  playing,  sol- 
diers smoking,  believers  chaffering  with  dealers  in  charms, 
ancient  art,  modern  advertisements  !•^  fine  a  spectacle  than 
which  surely  nothing  more  motley  was  ever  witnessed  with- 
in a  religious  edifice." 

Chamberlain  tells  how  foreigners,  who  land  in  Japan  for 
the  first  time,  express  themselves  in  regard  to  earthquakes. 
"  Oh,  how  I  wish  I  could  feel  an  earthquake!  "  is  usually 
the  first  exclamation  on  the  subject.  "  What  a  paltry  sort 
of  a  thing  it  is,  considering  the  fuss  people  make  about  it!  " 
is  generally  his  remark  on  his  secotid  earthquake,  for  the 
first  one  he  invariably  sleeps  through.  But  after  the  fifth 
and  sixth  he  never  wants  to  feel  another;  and  his  terror  of 


576  GIRDLING   THE    GLOBE. 

earthquakes  throws  with  lengtli  ol  residence  in  an  earth- 
quake-shaken land,  such  as  Japan  has  been  from  time  im- 
memorial. 

1  cannot  say  that  wc  had  a  strong  desire  to  feel  an 
earthquake.  We  knew  the  experience  would  come  to  us  in 
a  land  where  nearly  four  hundred  seismic  disturbances  oc- 
cur every  year.  It  is  true  that  we  did  not  dread  them  and 
were  rather  anxious  for  the  first  e.xperience,  and  it  is  also 
true  that  before  we  left  Japan  we  had  a  terror  of  the  fearful 
quaking  of  the  earth.  I  slept  through  the  first,  was  awak- 
ened by  the  second,  and  tried  to  count  the  waves  of  the 
third.  I  quote  from  m\-  journal:  We  came  up  to  Tokio 
yesterday  to  spend  a  short  time  in  the  capital.  Last  night 
we  had  a  very  severe  earthquake  shock.  It  occurred  at 
lO:  38  P.  M.  I  noticed  this  because  the  clocks  in  the  hotel 
stopped  at  the  time  named.  I  was  awakened  by  the  move- 
ment of  the  bed,  and  the  first  thought  was  of  the  rocking  of 
a  ship  at  sea.  I  did  not  seem  to  be  alarmed,  but  lay  quietly 
in  bed,  noting  the  regularity  with  which  the  waves  increased 
until  the  maximum  was  reached  and  then  decreased  with 
some  degree  of  regularity  until  with  a  quivering  motion  they 
ceased.  Our  bed  rocked  to  and  fro,  the  timbers  creaked, 
the  dogs  set  to  howling  and  there  was  a  general  uproar 
about  the  hotel.  A  low,  rumbling  noise  was  heard  as  of 
distant  thunder.  The  waves  followed  each  other  in  quick 
succession,  and  in  about  two  minutes  the  shock  was  over 
and  all  was  quiet.  I  said  I  was  not  alarmed,  but  when  it 
was  all  over  my  heart  was  beating  with  more  than  ordinary 
rapidity,  an  indication  of  some  excitement. 

After  this  experience  we  had  a  wholesome  dread  of  the 
earthquake.  During  our  stay  in  Japan  we  felt  twelve  dif- 
ferent shocks  caused  by  the  quaking  of  the  earth.  The  last 
one  occurred  the  day  before  we  left  the  country,  and  was 


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EFFECTS    OF    EARTHQUAKE.  579 

by  far  the  most  severe  of  all.  It  came  at  1 1 :  30  A.  M.  We 
were  packing  up  preparatory  to  leaving,  and  for  about 
three  minutes  the  waves  were  continuous.  The  chandelier 
hanging  in  our  room  swung  back  and  forth  like  a  pendu- 
lum. The  house  rocked  as  if  it  would  come  down,  and  we 
sought  the  usual  place  of  safety  under  the  jamb  of  the  door. 
When  it  was  all  over  we  had  occasion  to  be  thankful  that  it 
was  no  worse. 

But  not  all  escape  so  easily  as  we  did.  Thousands  of 
people  lose  their  lives,  and  towns  and  cities  are  completely 
destroyed.  In  the  great  earthquake  at  Nagoya  in  1891 
more  than  four  thousand  people  were  killed.  A  missionary 
who  was  at  the  place  when  the  disturbance  took  place  told 
me  that  three  men  were  killed  in  the  street  by  his  side, 
stricken  down  by  falling  walls  and  flying  timbers.  The 
photogravure  on  page  577  shows  the  government  buildings, 
post  and  telegraph  office  immediately  after  the  shock  was 
over.  It  was  a  strong  brick  building,  constructed  with  a 
view  of  resisting  earthquakes,  but  the  waves  of  the  earth 
left  it  as  seen  in  the  picture,  a  complete  wreck. 

The  houses  in  Japan  are  the  "offspring  of  the  earth- 
quake." The  natives  build  low,  light  houses,  not  over  two 
stories  high,  and  many  of  them  do  not  exceed  one  story. 
The  greatest  danger  is  from  the  heavy  roofs.  Tiling  is 
used  for  roofing,  and  the  timbers  must  be  strong  enough  to 
support  the  weight.  When  the  houses  are  shaken  down 
man\'  of  the  unfortunate  people  are  caught  beneath  the 
roofing,  and  before  they  can  be  extricated  fire  puts  an  end 
to  their  suffering.  The  ruins  invariably  take  fire  b\-  the 
overturning  of  braziers  and  the  Japanese  stoves,  and  the 
horrors  of  the  situation  are  greatly  intensified.  The  most 
severe  earthquakes,  it  is  said,  occur  in  winter,  when  fire  is 
necessary  to  keep  the  rooms  warm. 


580  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE 

Professor  Milne,  who  has  made  seismic  disturbances 
the  study  of  his  life,  has  invented  a  method  of  building  to 
thwart  the  effect  of  the  earthquake  He  would  make  a 
mortise  in  the  corner  stones  of  the  house  large  enough  to 
admit  the  corner  posts.  In  the  mortise  a  number  of  small 
steel  balls  are  placed,  on  which  the  posts  rest.  The  ball 
bearing  would  provide  for  free  oscillation,  and  the  danger 
of  the  house  being  shaken  down  would  be  greatly  lessened. 
It  would  seem  that  no  system  of  construction  would  avail 
when  the  severe  shocks  of  the  earthquake  come.  In  the 
great  earthquake  of  1855,  which  destroyed  thousands  of 
lives  in  Tokio  and  the  district  lying  west,  fourteen  thou- 
sand, two  hundred  and  forty-one  dwelling  houses  and  six- 
teen hundred  and  forty-nine  fireproof  storehouses  were 
overturned  and  destroyed,  and  it  was  estimated  that  thirty 
thousand  lives  were  lost. 

A  good  idea  of  the  destruction  wrought  by  the  quaking 
of  earth  may  be  obtained  by  reference  to  page  581,  where 
a  part  of  one  of  the  villages  overthrown  may  be  seen.  A 
moment's  study  of  the  photograph  will  show  how  complete- 
ly the  houses  have  been  destroyed.  The  only  marvel  is 
how  any  of  the  inhabitants  escaped  with  their  lives. 

The  cause  of  earthquakes,  says  an  authority  on  this  top- 
ic, is  still  obscure.  The  learned  incline  at  present  to  the 
opinion  that  the  causes  may  be  many  and  various;  but  the 
general  connection  between  earthquakes  and  volcanoes  is 
not  contested.  The  "faulting"  which  results  from  eleva- 
tions and  depressions  of  the  earth's  surface,  the  infiltration 
of  water  to  great  depths  and  the  consequent  generation  of 
steam,  the  caving  in  of  subterranean  hollows  —  hollows 
themselves  produced  in  all  probability  by  chemical  degra- 
dation— these  and  other  causes  have  been  appealed  to  as 
the  most  probable. 


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M 
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THE    GROUND    CLAVE    ASUNDER.  583 

Whatever  the  cause  may  be,  earthquakes  are  a  terrible 
reality  and  in  no  other  country  in  the  world  are  they  so  fre- 
quent as  in  Japan.  Professer  Milne  has  invented  a  seismo- 
graph, a  very  delicate  instrument  vshich  records  the  earth- 
quakes. When  it  is  said  that  so  many  occur  in  Japan  ev- 
ery }'ear,  it  should  be  stated  that  many  of  the  shocks  are 
ver\'  light  and  are  revealed  only  by  Milne's  recording  instru- 
ment. Others  like  those  experienced  by  ourselves  startle 
one  from  the  soundest  sleep,  and  then  every  few  years  comes 
one  of  great  violence  and  destructive  force.  They  are, 
however,  not  more  dreaded  b\'  the  people  of  Japan  than  are 
the  hurricanes  and  cyclones  in  our  own  country. 

In  the  Bible  we  read  of  the  dire  punishment  which  fell 
upon  Korah  and  those  who  with  him  rebelled  against  the 
Lord.  "The  ground  clave  asunder  that  was  under  them, 
and  the  earth  opened  her  mouth  and  swallowed  them  up, 
and  their  houses,  and  all  the  men  that  appertained  unto 
Korah  and  all  their  goods."*  Some  Bible  students  would 
account  for  this  judgment  of  God  upon  the  rebellious  Ko- 
rah b}-  referring  it  to  an  earthquake.  Whether  this  be  the 
correct  explanation  or  not,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  was 
the  result  of  divine  interposition  and  was  intended  to  teach 
the  wandering  Israelites  an  im.portant  lesson.  The  means 
used  may  have  been  an  earthquake.  In  Japan  the  opening 
of  great  cracks  in  the  earth,  of  unknown  depth,  is  of  com- 
mon occurrence.  Parts  of  villages  are  sometimes  swallowed 
up.  Look  at  the  cracks  in  the  earth  as  shown  in  the  ac- 
companying picture,  from  a  photograph,  hence  presenting  a 
real  scene.  In  all  this  we  ma\-  see  what  wonderful  forces 
and  power  God  has  stored  up  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth. 
In  the  globe  on  which  we  live  are  the  elements  and  forces 
which,  if  properly  combined,  would  shake  its  foundations 

♦Numbers  16:  31,  32. 


584  r.TRni.ixo  THE  fn.or.E. 

ami  dissolve  it  into  smoke  and  leases  in  a  brief  period.  Let 
us  therefore  build  not  on  the  imstable  earth,  but  upon  the 
rock  Christ  Jesus  which  cannot  be  shaken,  "whose  voice 
then  shook  the  earth:  but  now  he  hath  promised,  saying, 
Yet  once  more  I  shake  not  the  earth  onl}-,  but  also  heaven. 
And  this  word,  Yet  once  more,  signifieth  the  removing  of 
those  things  that  are  shaken,  as  of  things  that  are  made,  that 
those  things  which  cannot  be  shaken  may  remain.  Where- 
fore we  receiving  a  kingdom  which  cannot  be  moved,  let  us 
have  grace,  whereby  we  may  serve  God  acceptably  with 
reverence  and  godl)'  fear:  for  our  God  is  a  consuming  fire." 


w 
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l-J 

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CHAPTER  XXIII. 


The  Lattd  of  Flowers  ■ —  The  Flower  Seller  —  The  Chrysanthemutn  — 
Cherry  Blossoms  —  Nothing  Rut  Leaves —  The  Cherry  Blossom  Fes- 
tival—  Tlie  Homeward  Journey  —  Picking  up  a  Day — Honolulu 
—  The  Golden  Gate  —  Home  at  Last. 

The  love  of  flowers  is  a  national  characteristic  among 
the  Japanese.  In  no  other  country  in  the  world  do  blos- 
soms, bestowed  with  bounteous  hand  by  the  Creator  to 
beautify  mother  earth,  enter  so  largely  into  the  lives  and 
hearts  of  the  people,  or  receive  more  love  and  appreciation 
than  in  Japan.  Poetical  fancy  has  called  it  the  "  Land  of 
Flowers,"  and  well  it  deserves  the  name.  From  January, 
when  the  sweet-scented  plum  blooms  in  perfect  beauty,  un- 
til December,  when  the  late  and  hardy  chrysanthemum  gives 
the  last  blossom  of  the  dying  year,  there  is  a  continuous 
succession  of  the  most  beautiful  flowers.  The  plum,  the 
cherry,  the  peony,  the  wistaria,  the  iris,  the  lotus,  and  the 
dahlia,  with  a  marvelous  wealth  of  autumn  beauties,  keep 
up  a  series  of  perpetual  blossoms  for  the  year.  Everybody 
loves  flowers,  and  no  home  is  so  poor  or  humble  but  that 
potted  plants  are  to  be  found  within  its  portals.  The  flower 
peddler  walks  about  the  streets  laden  with  beautiful  blos- 
soms set  in  bamboo  vases  and  finds  numerous  customers 
among  rich  and  poor  alike,  for  they  all  love  the  flowers. 

The  chrysanthemum  is  the  national  flower  of  Japan, 
and  the  flower  with  its  many  petals,  sixteen  in  number,  is 
used  as  the  imperial  crest  and  heraldic  sign  by  the  reigning 
famil)'.     No   one  else  may  use  the  nation's   choice  in   this 

way.     An  author  who  visited  Japan  in    November  says  of 

(5S7) 


588  GIRDLING    THE    r;i.OBH. 

this  beautiful  flower:  "  Many  gardens  are  filled  with  won- 
derful specimens  of  the  gardener's  art,  which  in  this  particu- 
lar branch,  has  achieved  true  floral  miracles.  There  are 
chrysanthemums  of  every  hue,  from  a  deep  gold  to  the 
faintest  shade  of  pink,  and  from  imperial  purple  to  a  vivid 
crimson.  Their  petals  and  corolla  are  of  every  conceivable 
shape;  sometimes  spatulate,  at  others  like  fairy  filaments,  or 
again  resembling  the  plumes  of  the  ostrich.  Each  year 
sees  new  and  beautiful  varieties  produced,  so  that  their 
name  is  legion."  Annually  a  great  national  festival  is  held 
in  honor  of  the  chrysanthemum.  At  such  times  the  chrys- 
anthemum gardens  are  a  mass  of  the  richest  color  and  the 
most  beautiful  blossoms.  Large  sums  of  money  are  spent  in 
the  production  of  the  chrysanthemum,  and  some  of  the  fin- 
est flowers  sell  at  a  very  high  price. 

Before  the  chrysanthemum,  in  point  of  time,  comes  the 
cherry  blossom,  and  it  stands  first  in  the  hearts  of  this  flow- 
er-loving people.  Of  this  I  write  from  actual  experience. 
The  great  cherry  blossom  holiday  occurs  in  April,  and  the 
trees  were  in  full  bloom  during  our  sojourn  in  Japan.  If 
the  chrysanthemum  is  the  national  flower,  standing  as  the 
sign  of  the  imperial  family,  the  cherry  is  the  flower  of  the 
people.  ''Hito  wa  buslii,  liana  zua  sakiira.  "  are  the  words  of 
an  old  Japanese  proverb,  "The  man  of  men  is  the  warrior, 
the  flower  of  flowers  is  the  cherr\-."  Among  our  own  practi- 
cal people  in  the  United  States  no  one  would  ever  think  of 
cultivating  the  cherry  tree  for  the  blossom  alone.  We  are 
much  too  utilitarian  for  a  procedure  of  that  kind.  But  for 
centuries  the  Japanese  have  spent  time,  labor,  and  money  in 
producing,  not  the  best  varieties  of  fruit,  but  the  finest  and 
most  beautiful  blossoms.  The  fruit  is  dwarfed  and  bitter 
and  is  not  eaten,  but  the  blossoms  are  marvels  of  beauty. 
They  are  not  pure  white  and  single,  as  with  us  at  home,  but 


si 
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►J 

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'Si 


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NOTHING  BUT  LEAVES.  591 

vary  in  color  in  every  conceivable  shade  from  the  lightest 
pink  to  the  deepest  rose.  Then  there  are  double  and  treble 
and  fourfold  blossoms — perfect  in  form  and  color  and  rich 
in  perfume — as  large  as  our  small  roses.  When  the  cherry 
trees  are  in  full  bloom  the  scene  is  one  of  indescribable 
beauty,  which  to  be  full)'  appreciated  must  be  seen  in  floral 
Japan. 

In  our  Yokohama  home  I  met,  and  became  well  ac- 
quainted with,  Capt.  Lee,  a  retired  army  officer  who  had 
seen  service  in  our  War  of  the  Rebellion.  He  was  a  well  in- 
formed, practical  man,  and  was  deeply  interested  in  horti- 
culture. He  was  making  an  effort  to  introduce  fruit  trees 
into  Japan,  and  was  hindered  because  the  people  cared 
more  for  flowers  than  fruit.  We  enjoyed  many  pleasant 
walks  together.  When  we  came  to  the  blossom-laden 
cherr}'  trees,  the  Captain,  in  reply  to  my  exclamations  of 
pleasure  and  delight  upon  seeing  the  beauty  of  the  flowers, 
would  sa}':  "Yes!  very  beautiful!  most  beautiful!  but  there 
is  no  fruit,  nothing  but  leaves,  nothing  but  leaves."  Re- 
flecting upon  the  Captain's  words,  I  thought.  So  it  is  with 
many  lives  in  this  world.  When  the  Master  comes  expect- 
ing fruit  he  will  find  "  nothing  but  leaves,  nothing  but 
leaves." 

At  Tokio  we  spent  the  cherry  blossom  holiday.  Early 
in  the  morning  the  streets  leading  to  Ueno  park,  where 
thousands  of  trees  were  in  full  bloom,  were  a  moving  mass 
of  humanity.  It  seemed  as  if  the  city  were  being  emptied 
of  its  people.  Two  hours  later  we  entered  the  park  where 
the  air  seemed  to  be  filled  with  clouds  of  pink  and  rose  and 
was  heavy  laden  with  perfume.  Beneath  the  trees  wan- 
dered the  great  crowd  of  people,  talking,  laughing,  reciting 
bits  of  poetry,  and  having  a  good  time  generally.  Says  a 
Japanese  poet:  "If  one  should  enquire  of  you   concerning 


592  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

the  spirit  of  a  true  Japanese,  point  to  the  wild  cherry  blos- 
som shining  in  the  sun."  And  the  spirit  of  the  great  throng 
of  Japanese  humanity  was  in  full  harmony  with  the  beauti- 
ful blossoms  dancing  in  the  morning  sun.  It  was  a  joyous, 
happy,  good-natured  crowd.  Men  and  women,  boys  and 
girls,  with  the  babies  of  the  household  securely  lashed  to 
their  backs,  were  all  there,  apj^arently  without  a  thought  or 
care  for  the  future.  It  was  the  cherry  blossom  festival,  and 
dull  care  was  banished  from  every  heart.  They  were  out  to 
enjoy  the  rich  feast  spread  by  bounteous  Nature,  and  I  was 
impressed  with  the  thought  that  this  happ}',  joyous,  smiling 
mass  of  people  were  getting  an  immense  amount  of  pleasure 
from  their  day's  outing.  There  were  innocent  games  for 
the  children,  into  which  both  old  and  young  entered  with 
great  zest,  and  many  peals  of  laughter  went  up  from  the 
merry  groups  of  players.  I  noticed,  too,  that  many  of  the 
blossom-laden  boughs  bore  also  strips  of  paper  on  which 
had  been  written  a  prayer,  or  some  practical  sentiment  in 
honor  of  the  da}-.  But  why  attempt  to  describe?  To  know 
and  feel  the  true  spirit  of  the  cherry  blossom  time  one  must 
go  to  the  flowery  kingdom  and  see  and  feel  it  for  himself. 

And  here  I  am  constrained  to  quote  briefly  from  my 
notes,  adding  to  what  has  already  been  said  about  the 
kindly  and  courteous  disposition  of  the  Japanese.  Friday, 
April  3,  1896:  A  bright,  clear,  beautiful  spring  day.  These 
are  delightful  days  to  go  about  the  city  and  see  the 
Japanese  in  their  homes,  and  what  a  kindh',  courteous  peo- 
ple they  are.  M}'  jinrikisha  man  takes  off  his  hat  and  bows 
with  as  much  natural  grace  as  if  he  were  a  nobleman.  The 
laundr)'man  who  comes  to  our  rooms  has  the  manners 
and  courtesy  of  the  highest  circles  of  European  or  Amer- 
ican society.  His  bows  are  as  graceful  and  at  the  same 
time  as  natural  as  if  he  had  been  born  and  bred  among  the 


>5 


< 


X 
H 

C/5 


X 


H 


GREAT  NEED  OF  JAPAN.  595 

elite  of  Paris.  .\nd  the  best  thin<^  about  Japanese  polite- 
ness is  that  it  is  not  put  on  for  the  occasion.  It  is  innate. 
To-day  I  saw  two  coolies,  day  laborers,  take  off  their  hats 
and  bow  to  each  other  in  the  most  graceful  manner.  My 
jinrikisha  man  accidently  jostled  an  aged  woman  on  the 
street.  She  fell  down.  He  went  to  her  assistance,  brushed 
the  dust  from  her  clothing  and  then  lifting  his  hat  bowed, 
and  the)'  parted  smiling  good  naturedly.  To-day  I  saw  a 
boy  of  ten  running  at  the  top  of  his  speed,  when  he  tripped 
and  fell.  Picking  himself  up  he  laughed  heartily  at  his 
discomfiture  and  ran  awa\'.  Good  nature  bubbles  over  in 
the  Japanese.  There  is  'nothing  morose  or  crabbed  about 
them.  Their  politeness  is  proverbial,  and  in  courtesy  and 
kindly  feeling  they  are  not  one  whit  behind  the  cultured 
nations  of  Europe.  In  these  respects  they  present  a  strik- 
ing contrast  to  the  rough,  coarse  bluntness  of  many  other 
peoples  one  meets  in  making  a  circuit  of  the  globe. 

The  Japanese  are  not  only  kind  in  disposition  and 
courteous  in  manner,  but  the\-  are  wide-awake  and  pro- 
gressive. The  nation  is  making  rapid  strides  and  her 
progress  in  the  last  decade  is  little  less  than  marvelous. 
The  great  need  of  the  country  is  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ.  If  the  Japanese  could  be  intluced  to  change  their 
idolatrous  worship  for  that  of  the  true  and  living  God  they 
would  soon  take  rank  as  one  of  the  leading  nations  of  the 
world.  As  it  is  they  are  held  in  thraldom  bv  their  idola- 
trous religion.  This  applies  to  the  masses,  and  to  them  the 
Gospel  of  Christ  should  be  preached  The  harvest  truly  is 
great.  Where  are  the  laborers  who  will  carry  the  Gospel  to 
the  already  whitened  fields  of  Japan?  Japan,  won  for 
Christ,  would  at  once  become  one  of  the  strongest  forces 
toward  the  conversion  of  China  and  the  whole  of  Asia  to 
the  Christian  religion.     May  the  day  speedily  come  when 


596  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

the  name  of  Christ  shall  take  the  place  of  the  false  gods  of 
the  "Flowery  Kingdom." 

And  now  again  we  turn  our  thoughts  and  faces  toward 
the  home  land.  It  is  a  long  distance  b\-  land  and  sea  from 
Yokohama  to  our  home  in  the  Illinois  village  where  our 
pilgrimage  around  the  world  began  almost  a  year  ago. 
How  quickly  the  time  has  fled;  and  now  as  we  prepare  for 
our  last  sea  voyage  it  all  seems  as  a  dream  that  is  told. 
Have  we  indeed  thus  far  girdled  the  globe?  True  it  is,  and 
now  farewell  to  Japan,  the  land  of  flowers  and  of  a  kindly, 
courteous  people.  May  she  grow  in  prosperity  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  true  God. 

On  the  26th  of  April,  1896,  we  sailed  away  from  Yoko- 
hama for  San  Francisco,  on  the  Pacific  Mail  steamer, 
"China,"  "the  best  shij)  on  the  Pacific,"  said  the  captain, 
and  entered  upon  the  longest  sea  voyage  of  our  journey 
around  the  world.  The  distance  between  the  two  ports,  by 
wav  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  is  about  six  thousand  five 
.  hundred  miles,  and  seventeen  days  is  the  time  usualh-  re- 
quired to  make  the  voyage.  The  Pacific  Ocean,  true  to  her 
peaceful  name,  was  calm  and  the  voyage  all  that  could  have 
been  desired.  But  seventeen  days  at  sea  become  very 
monotonous.  On  the  North  Atlantic  one  sees  steamers  and 
ships  of  sail  nearly  ever}'  day,  but  on  the  Pacific  days  and 
weeks  are  passed  without  a  sight  of  ship  or  sail  to  break  the 
dead  waste  of  water. 

On  the  2nd  day  of  May  we  crossed  the  international 
date  line,  180  degrees  east  of  Greenwich,  and,  in  order  to 
correct  our  time,  were  compelled  to  pick  up  a  day.  West 
of  the  line  we  had  Saturday,  Ma}-  2.  Plast  of  the  line  it  was 
Sunday,  May  3.  Our  notes  sa}-,  "Singular  as  it  may  seem, 
I  have  two  Saturdays  and  two  second  da}s  of  Ma}'  follow- 
ing each  other  in  my  diar}'.     It  makes  one  week  of  ni}'  life 


VOYAGE    HOME.  597 

contain  eight  clays.  I  know  the  fact  exists,  and  )'et  it  is 
hard  to  have  the  mind  accept  it.  Regularly  we  have  gone 
on  until  we  came  to  Saturday,  and,  according  to  all  previ- 
ous experience,  this  ought  to  be  the  first  day  of  the  week. 
But  all  past  experience  fails,  and  I  am  compelled  to  write 
Saturday,  May  2,  when  I  feel  that  it  is  Sunday,  May  3." 
Thinking  over  this  strange  occurrence,  we  wondered  how 
our  seventh  day  friends  could  adjust  themselves  to  thi: 
state  of  things.  East  of  the  line  they  would  be  keeping 
one  day  as  their  Sabbath,  while  their  brethren  west  of  the 
line  would  be  observing  another.  The  solution  of  this 
problem  is  left  for  those  who  keep  the  Jewish  Sabbath. 

The  longest  life  has  its  close,  and  so,  too,  the  long- 
est sea  voyage,  and  the  longest  journeys  have  their  end. 
With  a  short  stop  at  the  Sandwich  Islands,  with  am- 
ple time  to  visit  Honolulu,  the  capital,  we  again  sped 
over  the  waters  of  the  sea  on  our  homeward  way. 
Day  after  da)'  passed  away  until,  at  last,  sailing  still 
toward  the  rising  sun,  the  coast  of  our  own  dear  native 
land  loomed  up  in  the  far  distance,  and  even  as  we  stood 
watching  on  the  deck  of  the  "China,"  we  entered  the 
Golden  Gate.  Yonder  floated  the  stars  and  stripes, — the 
emblem  of  civil  and  religious  liberty.  How  our  hearts 
filled  with  thankfulness,  and  our  eyes  with  tears  of  joy, 
when  we  realized  that  we  were  safe  in  the  harbor  at  last! 
Ah,  the  best  part  of  the  journe}'  is  the  home-coming;  and 
so,  too,  the  best  part  of  life's  voyage  is  the  blessed  home- 
coming of  the  soul;  sailing  peacefully  and  quietly  into  the 
haven  of  eternal  rest. 

From  San  Francisco  we  made  a  hasty  journey  to  Otta- 
wa, Kansas,  where  our  Annual  Conference  for  1896  was 
held.     Here   we   were    met    and    greeted    b\'    many   of   our 


59^  GIRDLING    THE    GLOBE. 

co-laborcrs  in  Christ.     Then  home  aij^ain  after  an  absence  of 
a  little  more  than  a  year. 

Onh"  wanderers,  after  a  lon^  and  weary  absence,  can 
enter  fully  into  our  feelings  when  we  were  again  permitted 
to  step  on  the  shore  of  our  own  dear  native  land  and  to 
reach  home  again.  To  God,  who  had  so  wonderfully  pro- 
tected and  kept  us  in  all  our  wanderings,  we  gave  thanks 
and  praise.  It  was  to  us  a  happy  home-coming,  and  here 
we  write  the  closing  words  of  this  book.  Not  far  hence,  as 
we  measure  time,  shall  there  be  written  over  against  the 
lives  of  reader  and  writer  the  words: 


THE    END. 


iDtTIDEiX:. 


Accident  at  sea,  an, 510 

Agra 371 

Ahmedabad 3^5 

Albanian  costume,  the 128 

Animals,  liomes  for 262 

Animals,  kindness  to 260 

Animals,  love  for 301 

Animals  of  the  jungle 419 

Animal  worship 297 

"Antiquities,"     210 

Armenian  massacres 139,  5i7 

Athens 116 

Athens,  modern 123 

Axenstrasse,  the, 94 

Banian  tree,  the  great, 4S5 

Baptism,  infant, 99 

Baptist  missionaries, 33^ 

Bathing  ghats,  visit  to 397 

Bazaars  of  Bombay 248 

Benares 395 

Benares,  the  center  of  Hinduism,  .  .  .396 

Bengal  tiger,  the 418 

Bhima,  image  of  the  god 404 

Bhooteas,  the 45i 

Bible,  the  Berleburg 77 

Bible,  first  published  in  America,  ...    77 

"Birds  of  a  feather," 498 

Black  Hole,  the 438 

Bombay 233 

Bombay,  old 247 

Books,  our,  taken 136 

Books,  recovering  our 147 

Booth  Tucker 228 

Boundary  stones 175 

Brahman,  the,  caste, 269 

Brethren  church,  founding  of 73 

Brethren,  persecution  of 74 

Breezes,  spicy 4(7 

Bridge,  a  cane 449 

Buddha,  images  of 552 

Buddhism  in  Japan 537 

Bulsar,  arrival  at, 264 

Bulsar,  leaving 364 

Burning  ghats 323 


Burning  ghat 406 

Burning  the  dead 316 

Cairo  revisited 205 

Cairo,  a  winter  resort 213 

Cairo,  bazaars  of 216 

Cairo,  immorality  of 213 

Calcutta, 437 

Calcutta,  leaving 458 

Camel  train,  a 206 

Carmel,  Mt iS3 

Caste 266 

Caste  destructive, 274 

Caste,  effects  of 270 

Caste  hinders  the  missionary 2?o 

Castes,  number  of, 270 

Caste,  remedy  for,     281 

Cawnpore,  defense  of 392 

Ceylon 469 

Ceylon,  leaving 496 

Child  marriage 347 

Children,  carrying 565 

Children,  dress  of 337 

Cherry  blossoms 5S8 

Cherry  blossom  holiday 591 

Cholera,  the  home  of, 437 

Chop-sticks 526 

Chrysanthemum,  the 587 

Cigarettes,  opium  in 507 

Cingalese,  dress  of 478 

Cinnamon 474 

Clothing  in  India 2^1,  332 

Clouds,  above  the 449 

Clouds,  among  the 444 

Cloves 476 

Cocoanut  plantation,  a 359 

Cocoanut  palm,  uses  Oi 477 

Collections,  novel 5to 

Colombo 4^9 

Company,  a  mixed 497 

Corinth 112 

Cows,  bathing  of .•261 

Cow,  the,  sacred, 260 

Cows  in  temples 3c3 

Cow  worship,  excess  of, , 303 


6oo 


INDEX. 


Cracks  in  tlie  eartli 51*^3 

Crocodiles,  sacred 3(6 

Curiosity  of  Orientals 342 

Custom  house,  a  Turkish 136 

Dalada,  temple  of, 483 

Day,  picking  up  a 5'j6 

Dead,  ways  of  disposing  of  tliC 315 

Death,  the  black, 516 

'Death  wood,'' 406 

Deception  in  religion, 572 

Devotions,  morning 331 

Dhoti,  the, 332 

Diogenes  the  Cynic, 115 

Dishonesty,  reason  of 339 

Divers  at  Aden 224 

Divers,  Malay  boy 509 

Donkey  riding 217 

Drink  evil,  the,  in  London 27 

Dress  in  Japan, 543 

Ear-boring 356 

Earthciuakes,  causes  of 580 

Earthquake,  an,  desire  to  feci 575 

Earthquakes,  effects  of 580 

Eder,  valley  of  the 70 

Egypt,  arrival  in, 203 

Elephants,  state 368 

Emperor's  bridge,  the 570 

Englishman,  first,  in  Japan,     537 

Ezbekiyeh  gardens, 215 

Faith-healing 405 

Fakirs 387 

Farmers,  a  nation  of, 420 

Farming,  Egyptian 207 

Farm'iiouses,  Scandinavian, 54 

Farmers,  Indian  and  American,     .   .   .  421 

Farrar,  Canon, 2i 

Feet,  small 529 

Fercken,  Bro.,  ordination  of 141 

Fercken's,  Bro.,  work 143 

Figs 146 

Filial  love 407 

Fire-worshipers,     238 

Fjords, 39 

Flowers,  the  land  of 587 

Flying  fish, 460 

Food  of  the  poor 327 

Fox  hunting 28 

Funeral,  a  Hindu, 317 

Funeral,  a  Jewish, 196 

Funeral,  a  Parsi 241 

Funeral  procession,  a 132 

Furniture,  lack  of 324 


Ganesa 287 

Gods  of  all  kinds 398 

Gold,  wearing  of 254 

Golden  temple,  the 413 

Grant,  Gen.,  modesty  of 570 

Grapes 131 

Grapes,  treading 197 

Grinding  at  the  mill 188 

Hair,  care  of 544 

Halle  revisited 69 

Hang,  John  Jacob,     77 

Hanuman.  the  monkey  god 308 

Harem,  a  Turkish, 163 

Headdress,  the 335 

Heathen,  liberality  of  tl'.e 465 

Heights  and  depths,     446 

Himalayas,  the 443 

Himalayan  railroad 443 

Hindus,  classes  of 284 

Holy  man  of  Benares, 416 

Home,  leaving 15 

Home-life  in  India, 337 

Home  again 598 

Home,  sailing  for 596 

Homes,  lack  of,  in  Paris 33 

Hooghly  river,  the, 459 

Horse  meat, 56 

Hostility,  Turkish, 141 

Houses  of  the  poor 323 

Houses  of  the  wealthy 328 

House-boats 526 

Houses,  Japanese, 579 

Idolatry 282 

Idolatry,  a  charm 283 

Idols  are  nothing 297 

Idols  at  Jeypore 367 

Idols  at  Benares, 396 

Idols,  making 409 

Idols,  blessing 409 

Idols,  made  in  England 409 

Idolatry,  tax  on 465 

Idol,  worshipers  before  an 559 

Images,  one  thousand  and  one 548 

Indigo  dye,  making  of,    .   .       422 

Indigo  plant,  the 422 

Infanticide,  female 366 

Infidel  teaching,  results  of 32 

Inland  Sea,  the 534 

Jaffa,  landing  at i57 

Japan,  advancement  of 539 

Japan,  extent  of 540 

Japan  historically,     537 


INDEX. 


601 


Japanese,  courtesy  of 592 

Japanese  hotel,  a S7i 

Japan,  greatest  need  of 555 

Japanese,  progress  of 5g5 

Japan,  revolution  in 539 

Jerusalem,  desolation  of 183 

Jerusalem,  excavations  at 187 

Jerusalem,  leaving 203 

Jewelry  in  India 252 

Jewelry,  weigfit  of 336 

Jewelry,  absence  of 543 

Jiddah 222 

Jinrikisha,  the 547 

Juggernaut,  car  of 461 

Jugglers 379 

Jungles 444 

Kago,  the 561 

Kalighat 455 

Kandy 480 

Kava,  how  made, 508 

Khali  Khan 381 

Kimono,  a,  buying, 565 

Kite  fiying 566 

Krishna 287 

Kwannon,  temple  of 548 

Labor,  effects  of  cheap 346 

Laborers,  food  of 421 

Land,  desire  to  see 16 

Land  tax  in  Palestine, 176 

Land  tenure  in  Palestine 172 

Lapps,  the 49 

Lebanon 150 

Lepers 164 

Leprosy  like  sin 169 

Letters  from  home 569 

Liberality  of  the  heathen .  400 

London, 19. 

London,  busy  streets  of 26 

Lots,  casting, 174 

Love  feast,  a,  at  Smyrna 139 

Lucerne 85 

Lucerne,  Lake, 86 

Luther  at  Worms 81 

Luther  monument 82 

Lying,  pride  in 522 

Madras 460 

Mango  tree  trick,  the 382 

Marks  in  the  forehead, 288 

Mars'  Hill 116 

Measuring  grain 180 

Memorial  Chapel  at  Windsor  Palace,  .    23 
Memorial  Well, 391 


Merchants  at  Aden 224 

Merchant,  the,  caste 269 

Midnight  sun,  the 64 

Milan  catliedral 98 

Mills,  the  hand 332 

Mission  work,  difificulty  of 142 

Missionaries,  in  company  witli 226 

Mission  work^  problems  of, 265 

Mission  work  hindered  by  opium  trade,  433 

Money,  Indian 344 

Monkeys,  worship  of 264,  306 

Monkeys,  mischievous 391 

Monkey  temple,  the, 414 

Monkey  wedding,  a 308 

Morality,  low  standard  of 522 

Nagasaki,  Gen.  Grant's  tree  at 533 

Name-giving 355 

Nature,  tropical 473 

Nikko,  temples  at, 570 

Northern  lights 41 

Norwegian  farmers 42 

Nutmegs 476 

Offerings  to  the  river, 399 

Olivet,  an  evening  on, 195 

Opium  dens,     506 

Opium,  destroyed 429 

Opium,  increased  use  of, 426 

Opium,  objected  to, 427 

Opium,  results  of  the  use  of, 425 

Opium  sent  to  China, 425 

Opium  war,  the, 430 

Orientals,  peculiarities  of 341 

Ornaments,  kinds  of, 336 

Palestine,  changes  in, 159 

Pan  chewing 257 

Paper  wads,  throwing  at  idol, 559 

Paradenia  Botanical  Garden 484 

Pariahs 270 

Paris 30 

Paris,  wickedness  of 31 

Paris,  the  steamer 18 

Parker,  Dr 20 

Parsis,  the, 237 

Passport,  a,  in  Japan 535 

Paul  at  Athens 116 

Paul  at  Corinth 115 

Peacock  throne,  the 389 

Pearl  Fisheries, 491 

Penang 499 

Perry,  Commodore,  at  Japan .538 

"Pidgin"  English 518 

Pigeons,  feeding, 368 


602 


INDEX. 


Pilfering  Cliinamen 525 

Pillows,  peculiar 544 

Plain  dressing 229 

Plague,  the,  in  Europe 517 

Politeness,  Japanese 556 

Polycarp 145 

Pompeii  revisited 107 

Pompeii,  restored  house  in iii 

Poppy  plant,  the 423 

Port  Said,  wickedness  of 204 

Prayer  flags, 454 

Prayers,  purchasing 5:9 

Prayer  wheels,     454 

Precious  stones, 486 

Purdah  women 403 

Pyramids,  climbing  the 209 

Rajah's  palace,  a 366 

Red  Sea,  the 220 

Reindeer,  uses  of  the 5° 

Religious  services 329 

Rhine,  the, 80 

Rigi,  Mount,  ascent  of 86 

Rubies,  value  of, 490 

Sabbath,  the  Christian,  in  Paris,     ...    32 

Saktism,  evils  of 292 

San-Tu,  temple  of, 55i 

Sari,  the 336 

Saur,  Christopher 77 

Sawmill,  an  Indian 343 

Scandinavia,  trees  of, 38 

Schwarzenau 71 

Sedan  chair,  the 503 

Separating  from  friends 217 

Sepoy  Mutiny,  the 391 

Serpent  worship 304 

Shells,  .   .    .   : 505 

Shepherd  and  flock 188 

Shoes  and  stockings 335 

Signboards, 522 

Sinai 222 

Sincerity  of  the  heathen, 407 

Singapore 499 

Sleeping  on  the  stieet 216 

Smelling  salts 210 

Smoking  cars 29 

Smoking  in  Japan 566 

Soldier,  the,  caste 269 

St.  Gothard  tunnel,  the 95 

St.  Peter,  kissing  foot  of, 104 


Streets,  narrow, 521 

Sudra,  the,  caste, 269 

Suez, 221 

Sunset  at  sea,  a i3 

Supper,  the  last 100 

Taj  Mahal,  the 371 

Tax  gatherer,  the 177 

Tea  plantation,  a 484 

Teaching,  need  of.     408 

Tell,  Wm 90 

Tell's  Chapel 93 

Temples  at  Benares 396 

Threshing  floors 160 

Tigers,  man-eating 365 

Toddy  climbers 360 

Toddy  drinking 263 

Tokio 575 

Tooth  of  Buddha 483 

Top  of  the  world,  the 445 

Towers  of  Silence,  the 245 

Tradition,  influence  of 346 

Transmigration 298 

Trappists.  the, 104 

Tree  worship 311 

Truth,  lack  of 338 

Tyre 151 

Uttariya,  the 335 

Vice  a  virtue 292 

View,  a  vionderful 445 

Wages  in  India 345 

Wages  in  the  North 60 

Waking  the  god Iti 

War.  cruelties  of, 394 

Water  wheels 219 

Watson,  Dr.,  and  his  work, 214 

Wedding,  a  double, 351 

Well  of  knowledge,  the, 413 

Widows,  burning  of 319 

Widows,  sad  condition  of 348^ 

Windsor  Palace, 23,  25 

Wine  vats 131 

Wine  vats,  the  king's, 197 

Woman  in  the  North, 59 

Woman  in  Egypt 214 

Woman,  influence  of, 22 

Worms,  city  of 81 

Worship,  daily  acts  of, 291 

Wristlets,  putting  on, 216 


RARE  BOOK 
COLLECTION 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT 

CHAPEL  HILL 


Travel 

G440 

.M64 


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